KLAMATH FALLS — Dorothy Neufeld, the new Director of Nursing for Klamath Community College, speaks from many years of nursing experience when she’s teaching in the classroom.
Hired at KCC just last year as a full-time faculty, she was promoted to director of nursing after that position became vacant in December.
“I like to give students ways to relate to what they are doing from some of my own experiences,” she said. She was once a hospital patient who had one of her students attend to her.
“Keep in mind, these are the nurses who will be caring for us in our later years. We want to ensure they are well trained in that care.”
“We are happy Dr. Neufeld accepted the offer to become our Director of Nursing. She has tremendous skill, experience, and enthusiasm for student success. Those traits will allow her to fit right in with the mission of Klamath Community College. We look forward to all of the good things she will create,” Dr. Steven Hobbs, Dean of Allied Health and Sciences, said.
Neufeld holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and is a “diploma trained” as a Registered Nurse.
“That just means a nursing graduate who (earned her degree through) practice,” she said. She graduated from Grace Hospital School of Nursing in Winnipeg in 1983. Then worked in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario for 11 years prior to coming to the USA in 1994 .
She taught at the State College of Florida since 2014. She has had extensive experience either as a faculty member, lead faculty member in the classroom, clinical settings, skills labs and in simulation classrooms.
Neufeld obtained a Masters in Advanced Practice Nursing for Pediatrics in 2012 from the University of South Florida, Tampa Bay. At the time, there were not a lot of openings in pediatrics, so she began teaching at the college.
“In order to teach as a nurse educator, you can have a nurse education track or you could have a clinical track. I took the clinical road, which gave me a solid foundation in pediatrics and it also helped me tremendously in academics,” she said.
Later, she obtained her Doctorate of Nursing Practice of DNP from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2020.
Neufeld also spent a summer in Rome, Italy, learning about that country’s health system and how to deal with marginalized populations.
“We worked with African refugees who had crossed the Mediterranean to Italy. There were quite a few horror stories; It was very humbling,” she said.
And while working in Tampa Bay, she also worked for the hospice programs for three years to fill in for staff.
As Director of Nursing, Neufeld will work with health care providers in the community, such as Sky Lakes, assisted-living homes, clinics, the local schools to take on KCC students as interns. She’ll continue teaching first-year students, too.
“What I like about KCC is the smaller, more personal work with students. At the larger colleges, I would be part of a lecture room with 80 students. Here, you can work with students one-on-one,” she said.
Why Klamath Falls?
“I Googled for a place that has the most sunshine in Oregon. Klamath Falls was top of the list. Plus, we like living somewhere where there are four seasons.”
Neufeld and her husband Bruce, have three children, one of whom is attending KCC.
For more information about KCC and its programs, visit www.klamathcc.edu.
