Amanda is the Director of Nursing at Bradford Health Services in Warrior, AL, and adjunct faculty in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at Jacksonville State University (JSU) in Jacksonville, AL. She became a Fellow of the International Academy of Addictions Nursing (FIAAN) in October 2019.
Amanda is an addictions nursing leader at a 204-bed residential substance abuse treatment center in North Central Alabama, where she has worked for over 10 years. She is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Addictions Nursing and speaks at various conferences on addictions nursing, nursing leadership, and SUDs. She strives to improve the stigma around addiction in the health care professional (HCP) community and increase awareness of SUDs within the nursing community. Amanda has been involved in the implementation of multiple evidence-based treatment program changes within her organization. She created a specialty Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) training program to help improve understanding of evidence-based treatment options for OUD among nurses working in addictions treatment. This training can be accessed for free at www.understandingoud.weebly.com
Amanda obtained her Associates Degree in Nursing from Wallace State Community College (WSCC) in 2005. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from JSU in 2016 with a focus on the vulnerable substance abuse population. She obtained her DNP from JSU on August 2, 2019 with a focus on substance abuse clients and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
Amanda is married to her high school sweetheart (Josh) and together they have one 14-year old daughter (Tay), 2 rambunctious cats, and a 60-lb pup who thinks she’s a lapdog. On weekends they can be found at Tay’s cheerleading competitions or at church where Amanda is the congregational pianist.
Expertise: Addictions Nursing, OUD, Nursing Leadership, Evidence-Based Practice, Initiative Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation, Nursing Education and Training, Use of Technology in Training and Education.