����ý

Alan Eddison

For Alan Eddison, DNP, APRN, being a preceptor for Florida Atlantic nursing students offers him the opportunity to share the vast amounts of knowledge he has gained throughout his 30-plus-year career.

“Preceptors help bridge the gap between didactic learning and clinical practice,” stated Dr. Eddison. “Florida Atlantic students come to their initial clinicals well-prepared, and they are equipped with the background knowledge to start caring for patients in a practical setting. They enter practice with a strong, patient-centered focus.”

In addition to training tomorrow’s health care workers, Dr. Eddison is also the clinical director at the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic in Stuart, FL, which treats low-income, uninsured primary care patients. He also serves as an affiliate assistant professor at Florida Atlantic’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. He teaches Primary 1, Primary 2 and Primary 3 courses, and he has the “privilege” of lecturing once a semester on diabetes.

“Teaching provides a kind of ‘professional immortality,’” noted Dr. Eddison. “In 30 years, I will probably not be practicing anymore, but my students will. Perhaps some of them will become teachers, and they will pass down what they learned from me.”

In the words of Paul McCartney, Dr. Eddison described his journey into nursing as a “Long and Winding Road.” He began his career in health care as an emergency medical technician (EMT) in the United States Coast Guard. While still on active duty, he began taking courses toward his associate’s degree in nursing. After earning his RN, Dr. Eddison worked in a wide variety of specialties, including telemetry, heart transplant, ER, trauma, infectious disease and flight nursing.

At the age of 40, he went back to school and earned a BSN degree, followed by an MSN degree, and eventually a DNP. He has worked in a few practice settings as a Nurse Practitioner, especially in the areas of cardiology and primary care, which he enjoyed. However, Dr. Eddison shared that his most satisfying work has occurred since he arrived at Volunteers in Medicine. While Dr. Eddison has accumulated many awards and distinctions throughout his career, he appreciates the smaller ones the most.

“I have a shelf full of tokens of appreciation that I have received from my patients over the years,” said Dr. Eddison. “In addition, I have a drawer filled with thank you cards from former students. I consider these to be my highest honors.”