Dr. Robin Murray
RN, MSN, DNP
Assistant Professor, Pre-Licensure BSN Coordinator
It’s been more than 15 years since Dr. Robin Murray worked as a nurse inside the Burn Unit at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. It was there that she cared for some of the most vulnerable of patients — and where she came to fully understand the intrinsic dignity and inherent worth of every life.
She’ll never forget caring for a patient, a male in his twenties, who had been badly burned after a methamphetamine lab he had built had blown up inside an apartment building. Across the hall from that man’s hospital room, she cared for another burn patient — a young girl — who Murray learned was an innocent victim of that meth lab explosion.
“It was my job and responsibility to take care of him with the same level of respect that I took care of that child,” Murray recalled. “Despite his actions, he still had the light of God.”
It’s on-the-job experiences like that one that Murray, now an associate professor of nursing at MBU, shares with her students to get them to begin wrestling with the many ethical challenges they will confront in the nursing industry.
Murray, who was one of the first faculty hired to teach at the MBU School of Nursing when it launched in 2018, is today part of a team of professors who not only have extensive experience working in the nursing industry, but whose belief in Jesus Christ informs the way they care for their patients — and teach their students.
“Here, not only can I talk about Jesus and make reference to scripture, but I am encouraged to do so,” Murray said. “Truly, the rewarding piece is realizing that I can impart those values and ethics into students who will work in literally the most trusted profession.”
Murray came to MBU after a seasoned career in the nursing profession. And though she first developed a passion for healthcare as a candy striper when she was just 13, before pursuing her nursing degree, Murray served her country in the U.S. Airforce after graduating high school at 17. In the Airforce, Murray worked as a cryptologic intelligence specialist — a position responsible for transcribing intelligence from other countries — for three years during Desert Storm.
Through the G.I. Bill, Murray’s service eventually paid for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which she completed while also serving in the Airforce Reserve, at Indiana University. As soon as she began nursing school, she knew she would one day teach.
“I loved everything about it,” Murray recalled. “I loved the academic setting and the idea of preparing students to become nurses.”
After graduating with her BSN, Murray spent decades working in the nursing industry — whether it was as a home healthcare nurse, working in the Intensive Care Unit, or as a professor and administrator at two other nursing schools — building up invaluable experiences. While working, she completed a Master of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Educational Leadership, which she earned this past October from American Sentinel University.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Murray’s doctoral capstone project addressed “civility in nursing and how to use education to promote it.” Since graduating, she has been asked to discuss the topic on a Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society podcast series, along with other experts on the topic.
It’s an important conversation in today’s nursing industry, Murray believes. And, for her, the reason is driven by her faith.
“It is a great comfort to recognize that God is with you even during the hard conversations,” Murray said. “God guides us to self-reflect, ‘take out the beam in our own eye’ and then approach the person with whom we have conflict. Addressing incivility is easier said than done and it takes reflection, prayer, practice, and intentionality.”
Part 5/5 of the Heart of Nursing Series
The Heart of Nursing
MBU’s new School of Nursing is raising up nurses whose work is informed by their faith.
Sam Greminger
MBU School of Nursing Class of 2020
It was just another headache.
Or so she thought.
Tara Hommelson | MSN, RN, CPNP, CNE
Assistant Professor, Graduate Program Coordinator
Assistant Professor Tara Hommelson is teaching her future colleagues.
Tyler Burke
MBU School of Nursing | Class of 2020
When Tyler Burke was little, he essentially lived in a hospital. Now he wants to spend most of his time there again, but this time working as a nurse.
