Remembering
Kathy Jordan

Kathy Jordan did not just practice nursing at the highest level – she elevated the entire field. In every aspect of her life, she demonstrated a selfless and passionate drive to help people, whether in the emergency room or the classroom.

As a clinician, Kathy practiced as an emergency nurse practitioner for over thirty years, specializing in pediatric care. She developed expertise in caring for individuals and families across the lifespan in fast-paced, complex, and unpredictable emergency settings. She had a particular passion for serving underserved and vulnerable populations, especially children and adolescents. In the specialized field of child maltreatment, her work spanned direct patient care, local and national education, evidence-based research, advocacy, and numerous publications. She had a remarkable gift for making frightened children feel safe and cared for, even in the most difficult circumstances.

As an educator, Kathy served as Clinical Professor at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she taught in graduate nursing programs. Her students adored her, and she received multiple teaching awards recognizing her excellence. She was also a prolific researcher and author, publishing over thirty journal articles and book chapters and securing numerous research grants. Her influence extended nationally through her active involvement with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the Emergency Nurses Association. Notably, she served as the only expert item writer in pediatric care for the AANP Certification Board, literally setting the standards by which nurse practitioners are certified.

Yet this impressive list of achievements doesn't fully capture what made Kathy singular. While she was an exceptionally skilled clinician who brought courage, compassion, and emotional strength to the most challenging cases, her deepest joy came from lifting other nurses up. She found immense fulfillment in educating fellow nurses and worked tirelessly at this mission – even encouraging her own chemotherapy care team to pursue advanced practice education. Kathy understood that excellent nurse practitioners transform lives, and she spent her career both being one and creating more of them.

This scholarship fund continues her life's work. By supporting nurses pursuing advanced practice education, we honor Kathy's legacy and ensure that financial barriers don't prevent dedicated nurses from achieving their full potential – just as she would have wanted.