Bette Case Di Leonardi, PhD, RN-BC
Biographical Sketch
Bette Case Di Leonardi, PhD, RN-BC, has been adventuring in nursing,
education, and healthcare administration since 1967. Since 1993, she has
practiced as an independent consultant who assists various types of healthcare
organizations and professional schools to achieve their goals using educational,
competency management, and quality improvement strategies.
She recently updated her book, Getting Started in Nursing Professional
Development: The Staff Education Process. This fourth edition will be out soon.
She presents live workshops based upon the book and created and recently
updated a web-based course she developed on the topic in collaboration with
Indiana University.
Bette specializes in outcome-oriented education. She believes that professional
development is effective only when participants can relate learning sessions
directly to their practice. Therefore, she strives for practical, realistic learning
situations.
She has developed and presented numerous educational sessions nationwide and
internationally—at professional conferences and for healthcare organizations and
professional schools. She has developed and taught web-based courses and
webinars. Her learners have included students in all types of basic nursing
programs, graduate nursing programs, and students of education, as well as
practicing professionals.
She has written numerous continuing education courses, articles, book chapters,
and three books—on subjects including precepting, teaching and learning, critical
thinking, test construction, medication safety, delegation, career development,
advocacy, and assertiveness. In 2008, she revised her book Advanced Practice
Nurse Preceptor Workbook, published by Loyola University Chicago.
One of her areas of expertise is test development. She has written knowledge
assessment tests for various nursing specialties and allied health disciplines and
continuing education posttests. She developed and has taught a course in tests
and measures with the PhD Nursing Education students of Nova Southeastern
University.
Prior to establishing her consulting practice she held leadership positions in the
nursing department at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center (MRHMC) in
Chicago, Illinois. At MRHMC she served on the faculty and administrative staff of
the Michael Reese School of Nursing, directed the departments of Nursing
Education, Evaluation and Research, Critical Care Nursing, and Emergency
Department Nursing. She developed a hospital-wide education department to
serve 3,500 staff members. In addition to mandated educational programming,
specific initiatives during her tenure in the education leadership role included
Bette Case Di Leonardi, Biographical Sketch
December 2008
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Bette Case Di Leonardi, PhD, RN-BC
Biographical Sketch
management development, unit-based quality improvement, and preceptor
development.
She was among the first group of nurses certified in Nursing Professional
Development in 1992. She has been involved in the Association for Nursing
Professional Development (ANPD) since its inception as the National Nursing
Staff Development Organization (NNSDO) and has chaired ANPD committees.
She served 2 terms a member of the ANCC Content Expert Panel for Nursing
Professional Development and 2 terms as a board member of the National Board
for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN). She currently
serves as a board member of the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nurse
Certification (ABSNC) which accredits the organizations that certify individuals
in nursing specialties.
She serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Continuing Education in
Nursing and Nurse Educator.
She led a task force of nursing leaders in developing beliefs and a definition of
continuing competence, published as Statement on Continuing Competence in
Nursing: A Call to Action. Many professional organizations have endorsed the
Statement, including ANPD. She served on the Continuing Competence Task
Force of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE).
Bette earned her BSN at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, and her
MSN and PhD in Educational Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, Chicago,
Illinois.
Bette Case Di Leonardi, Biographical Sketch
December 2008
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