Penny Briese, PhD, RN

Associate Professor

SIM/Lab Coordinator

Department

Nursing

Education

Ph.D., University of North Dakota

M.S., University of North Dakota

B.S.N., University of Jamestown

Download CV

Contact Information

701-252-3467 ext. 5023

Orlady 029

Office Hours

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday: 2:00-4:30
Thursday: 12:00-12:30 and 2:30-4:30
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:

Notes:

Biography

My name is Penny Briese (like the wind, but spelled different!), and I am an Associate Professor of Nursing and the Simulation Lab Coordinator. I graduated from Jamestown College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and practiced rural nursing in the Emergency Department, medical/surgical unit, and long-term care. I was a Paramedic/EMT prior to becoming a Registered Nurse so I bring a lot of my passion for trauma nursing and emergency medicine to our program. I earned my Master of Science in Nursing Education in 2010 and my PhD in Nursing Research in 2022.

I am the advisor for both the UJ Golden Z Club and the International Students Organization and I enjoy being the resident seamstress for the UJ Theater program; I also earned minor degrees in Theater and German Studies during my time at JC. I am former military, so I have lived all over the world; Berlin, Germany “ist meine zweite Heimat”.

My husband, Lee, and I built a new home here in Jamestown in 2022 that is only 5 MINUTES from the University. What a difference that makes from my previous 80-mile roundtrip drive to UJ from Edgeley, ND! I also have a garden home in Mietgendorf, Brandenburg, Germany where I spend my summers. Together, Lee and I have five children and two precious grand-babies, Astrid and Orren. We also have two Corgis, Sheldon and Stuart.

My favorite course to teach

As much as I love EVERY course in which I run simulation, I would have to say that BOTH the Nursing Research and Nursing as a Profession are my favorite courses. In Research, I get to take a topic about which senior nursing students are a bit trepidatious and make it FUN! In the other, I get to guide seniors along the way to becoming professional nurses. They learn a lot about themselves and how they view the world, as well as where they will fit in that world.

Being the resident seamstress and costuming for the UJ theater is, without a doubt, the most fun I have here on campus. The creativity of the theater students and the energy they bring to the productions is amazing! I absolutely love watching them grow as performers and as young adults!

Scholarly and Creative Works

I am pleased to say that my article “Application of Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory to Simulation in Healthcare Education” was published in 2020. It is a beautiful little educational theory that I use every time we run a simulation! I have also written and co-authored several UJ student publications for the North Dakota Nurse newsletter.

And if I had to choose, I would have to say the award of which I am most proud is the President’s Key from my undergraduate years here at JC. As an “older than average” student, I took advantage of all that this school had to offer me and worked very hard, earning not only a BSN but both of my minor degrees in four years, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA! That award still hangs on the wall in my office as a reminder of what is possible. Now that I am an academic advisor, I do my best to help students get the most out of their time here at UJ. I always say, “If someone tells you that you “can’t”, your response should be “watch me!”

Professional Affiliations

  • American Nurses Association
  • North Dakota Nurses Association- Director of Advocacy
  • North Dakota Center for Nursing- past Board Member
  • North Dakota Student Nurses’ Association- past Faculty Advisor
  • International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning (INACSL)
  • Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS)- Engagement and Marketing Committee (North and South Dakota representative)
  • Stutsman County Human Rights Coalition- Board Director
  • Zonta International- Board Member, District 7, Area 1 Director
  • Zonta Club of Jamestown- Past President, current Secretary