Mary Ann Garcia Shares Her U.S. Education with Fellow Nurses in the Philippines

Associate Dean of Faculty, Academic Affairs at Chamberlain University’s Miramar campus Mary Ann Garcia, DNP, MSN, RN, always dreamed of being a pharmacist. But her plans changed when it wasn’t offered in the Philippines.

She was unsure about nursing until a family member described the way she made a difference in people’s lives every single day. “I began to embrace nursing and I learned to love the profession.”

Dedicated to Nursing

Mary Ann quickly climbed the ladder to become a critical care and intensive care unit manager at a Philippines hospital. Interested in earning a master’s degree, she applied and won a scholarship to study in the United States. After graduation, she headed back to the Philippines to Step Forward and educate nurses in her homeland before traveling to South Korea to introduce nurses to the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

Calling U.S. Her Home

Then it was back to the U.S. to teach, eventually landing at Chamberlain and earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP) degree in 2019. Together with her colleagues on the Miramar campus, Mary Ann supports community-outreach programs such as Infant Loss Day, Autism Walk, clothes drives, Thanksgiving food drive and National Alliance on Mental Illness Walk. “We Step Forward because we believe that the hard work and commitment that we show our students will extend to the care of their patients and will create a positive impact in the nursing profession and the communities we serve.” Mary Ann is a member of the Philippine Nurses Association of America and Nurses International, supporting immigrant nurses as they achieve their dreams. 

Representing Chamberlain at STTI Conference

Joining a handful of other Chamberlain colleagues and alumni, Mary Ann will present her abstract The Impact of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines on Diabetes Through the Use of Mobile Devices for a poster presentation at the upcoming Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society’s 31st International Nursing Research Congress in Abu Dhabi this July. Honorees received congratulatory emails stating the submitted abstracts were exceptional and the accepted presentations “are an excellent reflection of current nursing trends and timely issues.”

Ready to earn your next degree? Learn more about Chamberlain’s DNP program.

By Heather L Hurtado