A Marblehead resident is being honored for her years of service in nurse education.
Susan Maciewicz, MSN RN CNE CHSE, was recently recognized by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) for her many years of volunteer work as an ACEN peer evaluator, and was also inducted into the Salem State University (SSU) Northeast Regional Educators Hall of Fame.
“I’m just honored to get the award for my work as the director of nursing at North Shore (Community College) and commitment to statewide improvement of nursing education, as well as efforts to educate more nurses at the graduate and doctorate level to teach the next generation of nurses,” Maciewicz said in an interview.
Maciewicz, an SSU graduate from the Class of 1987, has been a nurse for more than 40 years. After several years of practice, she moved into a part-time position as a registered-nurse educator, and for the last 20 years has been in education and nursing leadership, serving in her current role at NCC since 2018.
She has been an ACEB peer evaluator since 2011, conducting more than 20 peer-evaluation visits during her time as a volunteer. At NSCC, she oversees the Nurse Education and Practical Nursing programs as director of nursing, and served as the department chair for Nurse Education prior to that.
“I like what I do most days, which is something that many people can’t say,” she said when asked about her experience working at the college. “I enjoy working with faculty. I think my role has moved from that of teaching students to developing faculty to be excellent educators.”
Nurse education, particularly since the pandemic, has changed dramatically, with educators being lost to retirement and personal reasons related to practicing during the pandemic, Maciewicz said. As a member of the Statewide Nursing Workforce Development Board, she said that much of her focus is on continuing to keep nursing-education programs afloat, both at NSCC and across the state.
“There is a shortage of nurse educators, and it’s a critical shortage, so we’re not going to have a next generation of nurse educators unless we do something,” Maciewicz said. “I’m working with a group of fabulous people out of UMass Medical School to look at ways to effectively increase funding to educate nurses to teach the next generation.”
ACEN Interim CEO Nell Ard expressed her appreciation for Maciewicz’s work in a statement.
“Thank you for your committed leadership and dedication to the quality of nurse education,” Ard said. “The ACEN’s accredited programs remain strong and continue to improve due to your commitment to this important work.”