Western Nevada College is honored to announce a new director of Nursing and Allied Health! Dr. Audrey Auer brings 17 years of experience in higher education and 30 years in the nursing field to WNC’s respected program.

“Dr. Auer’s nursing journey began with a community college associate degree, inspiring her to pursue a BSN, MSN and PhD,” said WNC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Dana Ryan. “Having worked in both urban and rural settings, she has designed culturally responsive education programs tailored to community needs. This background equips Dr. Auer to connect with and support our diverse students, faculty and region.”

Prior to coming to WNC, Dr. Auer served as the Assistant Dean of Nursing at Arizona College of Nursing’s Las Vegas campus, where she oversaw an accelerated BSN program with more than 500 students and 50 faculty members. The opportunity to lead WNC’s nursing program was a perfect fit for Dr. Auer since it allowed her to rekindle a very enjoyable past experience in higher education.

“I started my career as a nurse educator at a college very similar to WNC in a rural community in the Midwest. I was very interested in working in a similar campus and program setting,” she said.

WNC’s rigorous nursing program has a reputation for producing students ready to work in hospital and healthcare facilities, as well as continue in higher education. Students pass the national licensure NCLEX-RN exam at high rates after earning their Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing. In 2020, Nursing Process selected WNC’s program as No. 1 in the West Region, which included 426 nursing schools.

“I am so impressed by the wealth of knowledge and experience among the nursing faculty,” Dr. Auer said. “Each one brings expertise from working as a nurse and together they are doing a fantastic job as a faculty group of educators. Nursing education is a specialty and must be learned and practiced to gain proficiency. There is a really strong nursing faculty group here at WNC and this is evident in the program outcomes. I am honored to be working with them.”

Dr. Auer’s immediate plans for the program include a couple of exciting development projects and important additions to the curriculum.

“My vision for the nursing program is to further develop the Fallon and Douglas sites to better serve the rural communities,” she said. “Additionally, we are working on completing the Certified Nursing Assistant and RN-Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculums with plans to launch these programs by the end of 2025. The foundation of the nursing program is solid and strong. There are lots of opportunities to support expansion of it.”

Dr. Auer’s career highlights include teaching, developing curricula, supervising clinical sites, and creating nursing programs such as Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Practical Nursing (PN) and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Nursing. Dr. Auer has also built tribal partnerships and consistently supported nursing students in achieving their goals, according to Dr. Ryan.

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Auer to the WNC team,” said WNC President Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe. “Dr. Auer brings a vast amount of professional and educational experience to this position, which will definitely benefit our students and the program overall. I also want to thank Deborah Ingraffia-Strong for overseeing the program as the interim director the past several years."

For the past three years, Nursing and Allied Health has been led by Interim Director Ingraffia-Strong, who plans to return to her full-time Professor of Nursing position.

For information about WNC’s nursing program, visit wnc.edu/nursing-and-allied-health or phone 775-445-4425.