Faith Johnson

Faith Johnson is a faculty member in the Department of Nursing at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), affiliated with the College of Business, Education, and Professional Studies. She joined SMSU on a fixed-term basis, replacing Nancyruth Leibold. With over 40 years of nursing experience and 20 years of teaching, Johnson previously taught at Ridgewater College and Metro State. She holds a Doctorate of Education from St. Cloud State University and master’s and undergraduate degrees from Bethel University.

• Education: BS in Organizational Studies and Nursing (Bethel University), MSN (Bethel University), EdD (St. Cloud State University)

Her clinical expertise spans operating room nursing, community health, and acute care. She emphasizes nursing education’s evolution amid challenges like the pandemic’s disruption to clinical training. Johnson is involved in the RN to BSN program’s growth, advocating for its student-centered, online delivery model and SMSU’s community-building ethos. She serves on the RN to BSN advisory board and collaborates with faculty like Laurie Johansen.

Johnson highlights the program’s potential for out-of-state expansion and praises SMSU’s commitment to nurturing students despite pandemic obstacles. Her work addresses nursing education’s adaptability and the critical need to balance training with real-world healthcare demands.