Patricia Brown O'Hara, RN PhD has been a nurse for more than 45 years. She received her PhD in Nursing Education in 2013 from Widener University. Her nursing specialties include Medical Surgical Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Geriatrics, and Nursing Administration. Currently, she is a Full Professor (tenured) and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students at Gwynedd Mercy University, where she has taught for 21 years.
Her research includes: The Influence of Academic Coaching on BSN students' academic success, Perceptions of the Academic Coaching Relationship, and NCLEX RN Success. She developed "The O'Hara Perception of the Coaching Experience" research instrument, which has been used by five doctoral students. She has presented numerous times, both nationally and internationally, on Academic Coaching, Gerontology, and Nursing Study Abroad.
She currently runs a nursing study abroad 3-week program for sophomore and junior nursing students to Ireland where they receive 6 academic credits.
She also serves on the Board of Trustees at Grand View Hospital and is a Legal Nurse Consultant. She was part of the Initial NLN ACES team on BEST practice for Older Adults. She is a Part Time Educator for ATI Testing, where she delivers 3 -4 ATI NCLEX 3 Day Live Reviews yearly.
