---
title: How Dr. Stuckey Found Her Calling in Nursing Education
url: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/dr-stuckeys-calling-in-nursing-education/"
type: post
date_published: 2026-08-24
date_modified: 2026-08-24
schema:
  @type: Article
language: en-US
word_count: 1438
reading_time: 8 min
canonical: "https://arizonacollege.edu/blog/dr-stuckeys-calling-in-nursing-education/"
featured_image: "https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Four-Nursing-Program-Students-with-Campus-Leader-at-AZCN.webp"
categories:
  - Nursing School
topic:
  - Campus Life
  - Nursing
---

# How Dr. Stuckey Found Her Calling in Nursing Education

![Four Nursing Program Students with Campus Leader at AZCN](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Four-Nursing-Program-Students-with-Campus-Leader-at-AZCN.webp)

When you walk through the halls of the
[Arizona College of Nursing St. Louis campus](https://arizonacollege.edu/st-louis-nursing-school/)
, you will often see the Assistant Campus President (ACP), Lanette Stuckey, PhD,
MBA-HM, MSN, RN, CNE, CMSRN, CNEcl, NEA-BC, CHSE, greeting students, checking in
on a
[skills lab](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/skills-and-science-lab/)
, or simply stopping to chat. Her presence around campus is intentional and
constant.

“I try to always make my presence known,” ACP Stuckey said. “I would say I’m
very involved with the students and get to see them a lot, which is always
wonderful.”

It’s that hands-on connection with the students around campus that has defined
her journey at AZCN.

## A New Start in St. Louis

Dr. Stuckey joined Arizona College of Nursing in April 2022, taking on the
unique challenge of launching a new campus right in St. Louis, Missouri.

“Opening up a brand-new campus as the Dean of Nursing [at that time] was very
exciting and something completely different,” she recalled. “It has been
incredible watching the campus grow from the first time that we admitted
students.”

From the early days to now, she explained that the campus’s growth has been
remarkable. “We are adding more faculty, more students, and we continue to
progress and grow and expand [every semester].”

The expansion isn’t just about numbers for ACP Stuckey; it’s about watching the
college’s transformation in real time.

“It’s amazing to watch [our students] grow from where they started to where
they are now,” she said. “Their critical thinking and clinical judgment is great
to watch [grow], and they are terrific.”

Seeing her students ‘progress from their first general education courses all the
way to their final semesters is what keeps ACP Stuckey motivated. She even noted
that it is “like you can see the lightbulb turn on” for the students.

## An Initial Calling to Teaching

ACP Stuckey’s passion for education began before she ever imagined leading a
nursing program. In high school, a class called Health Occupations gave her a
taste of what it meant to care for patients.

![Lanette Stuckey Graduating with BSN Degree](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Lanette-Stuckey-Graduating-with-BSN-Degree.webp?w=656)

“As a senior, I had the opportunity to take a Health Occupations course that
functioned like a CNA program. We learned the same foundational skills our
nursing students develop in Fundamentals, received hands-on instruction from
healthcare professionals, and completed clinical experiences in the hospital. By
the end of the program, we were eligible to sit for the CNA certification exam,
so I graduated from high school already certified,” she explained. “That
experience not only sparked my passion for nursing but also showed me the impact
that quality education and early clinical exposure can have on a student’s
future.”

Getting to explore the hospital setting at such an early age, seeing what a role
in the healthcare world could entail, and learning to interact with patients,
she explains, led her to nursing.

ACP Stuckey worked as a CNA throughout nursing school. After earning her BSN,
she began her career in medical-surgical and cardiac telemetry units.

“I moved into a charge nurse [role]… and started mentoring students when they
first started and when they graduated,” she said. “It was great to find that as
my focus and educate them in the clinical arena and watch them grow.”

That passion for teaching eventually shifted her path entirely.

## Discovering Her True Calling as a Nurse Educator

ACP Stuckey eventually started working with clinical groups of nursing students
and fell in love. She remembers how exciting it was to watch students go from
being afraid to enter a patient’s room to being completely confident by the end
of the semester.

She taught every level of nursing, from students who had never interacted with a
patient before to those in their final semester. “Seeing how much they’ve
progressed was lovely,” she recalled.

Eventually, she moved full-time into education, moving from PRN at the hospital
to a full-time didactic instructor who taught in classrooms, labs, and
clinicals.

“I really loved it and eventually worked my way into leadership where I chaired
the curriculum committee and [professional development] committee, [before]
transitioning into the Dean of Nursing role,” she shared.

That first Dean role for Stuckey was in Illinois, where she found that mix of
leadership and education to be the perfect fit for what she longed for in a
career.

“When I first graduated with my BSN, I wasn’t thinking I would go into
education,” she admitted. “But education found me. It was a true calling.”

![Lanette Stuckey at Her Nursing Program Graduation](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Lanette-Stuckey-at-Her-Nursing-Program-Graduation.webp?w=597)

## Building a Supportive Culture at AZCN

When ACP Stuckey came to Arizona College of Nursing, she found a culture that
aligned with her values.

“The staff and the people I work with are just wonderful. The students are too.
It’s very rewarding and I feel like I do have a servant leadership style,” she
said. “I can give back and
[help the students](https://arizonacollege.edu/student-services/).”

This type of passion for service that ACP Stuckey demonstrates shapes Arizona
College of Nursing’s St. Louis campus and its culture. “[Our] students support
other students. We’re all going towards the same goal for every student to be
successful, for them to graduate at the end, and to go out and be great nurses
and give back to the community,” she explained.

In addition, ACP Stuckey loves how great the college’s connection to the local
community is, sharing that so many facilities are excited and happy to welcome
AZCN students for clinicals and post-grad positions. This gives our students
many exciting opportunities during their time at the college and after.

“Our [clinical partners](https://arizonacollege.edu/about-us/partnerships/) are
very supportive of Arizona, and they just can’t wait for our graduates. They
want to come to the campus, and they are very excited that our students are
local. They know our students are going to be here in the community once they
graduate.”

## Watching BSN Students Grow at AZCN

For ACP Stuckey, the highlight of every term comes when she gets to reflect on
how far her students have come.

“The end of the semester is my favorite time,” she said. “When students are in
the middle of it, they are stressed about assignments and exams. But at the end,
they always come back and say, ‘I learned so much.’ That is what makes it all
worth it.”

![AZCN Nursing Program Leader Lanette Stuckey](https://arizonacollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AZCN-Nursing-Program-Leader-Lanette-Stuckey.webp?w=1024)

ACP Stuckey is looking ahead to a very exciting milestone: watching the campus’s
first graduating class in August 2026.

“It is going to be such a proud moment,” she explained. “To see them walk across
that stage after watching them grow from their very first courses are going to
be incredible.”

When asked what advice she gives to aspiring nursing students, ACP Stuckey did
not hesitate to say, “be patient with yourself.”

“You are learning something that takes time, practice, and heart. There will be
moments of doubt, but those moments are part of the process. Don’t forget why
you started.”

ACP Stuckey also encourages Arizona College of Nursing students to lean on each
other and the faculty. Nursing school is not something to do alone, and ACP
Stuckey reminds everyone that it is a team effort.

“Ask questions, seek help, and remember every challenge is shaping you into the
nurse you are meant to become.”

## Looking Forward

As Arizona College of Nursing’s St. Louis campus continues to expand, ACP
Stuckey remains energized by the journey.

“It has been wonderful watching us grow from a brand-new campus to one that’s
thriving,” she said. “We’re adding more students, more faculty, and more
opportunities every semester. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Whether she is leading from the front of the classroom or cheering students on
at an advancement ceremony, or preparing for the first graduation, one thing is
certain: her heart for education and her love for nursing will continue to guide
her students forward.

“Education found me,” she reflected. “And now I get to help others
[find their purpose in nursing](https://arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/why-azcn/)
. There’s nothing better than that.”

**Categories:** Nursing School