Amanda Pitchford-Madrid joined ACHNE in 2017 after being introduced to the organization by Hermia Parks when Amanda started teaching community/public health nursing. She received her BSN from California Baptist University College of Nursing, her MSN from Grand Canyon University with an emphasis in public health, and is currently a PhD candidate at Loma Linda University. Prior to her time as an educator, she worked as a public health nurse in a local health department. In addition to her teaching career, Amanda also currently she works for the state health department as a facility evaluator. Within ACHNE, Amanda serves on the strategic planning committee.
Amanda is proud of her work with students during the pandemic, establishing a testing clinic on her campus, California Baptist University College of Nursing, and involving students in vaccine administration in the community. She is most passionate about simulation, particularly community/public health nursing simulation and interdisciplinary simulation. She strives to include psychosocial aspects of the client in her simulations, to allow students to explore the social determinants of health within each scenario.
Amanda’s research focuses on the psychological safety of Black women. Her dissertation is a mixed-methods study exploring this concept in primary care or community based organizations, addressing a gap in the research on this topic.
Amanda would like ACHNE members to recognize that we are the “front-line workers” when it comes to encouraging students to pursue wellness. It’s only in community/public health nursing that students get to truly walk alongside a client, both understanding what it means to live well and focusing on helping others live well. This is what makes our role in nursing curriculum so very important.