Rate My Professor MARK CRIDER

Dr. Mark C. Crider, PhD, MSN, RN, is the Executive Director and Professor of Nursing at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, where he serves as Program Lead for the undergraduate nursing program and oversees initiatives such as the accelerated online RN-to-BSN degree launched in 2018 and the Master of Science in Nursing program. Under his leadership, Harrisburg University's bachelor and master's nursing programs received national accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education in 2021, affirming their excellence in fostering professional nursing practice and improving health outcomes. The RN-to-BSN program builds on registered nurses' prior associate degree or diploma education with an interdisciplinary focus on genetics, epidemiology, ethics, and informatics, and the university awarded its first RN-to-BSN degrees in 2021. Dr. Crider earned his BS in Nursing from Pennsylvania State University, MSN in Nursing Education from Villanova University in 1993, and PhD in Nursing with a health policy focus from the University of California, San Francisco in 2008. His career spans over 30 years, including roles as staff nurse, nurse manager, nursing director, lobbyist, management and organizational development specialist, and nurse educator. Previously, he was Assistant Dean for Administration and Special Projects, Director of the Veterans to BSN Program, and Chair of undergraduate programs at Duquesne University School of Nursing.

Dr. Crider's research centers on health policy, particularly its impact on persons with chronic mental illness, with his doctoral dissertation examining the American Nurses Association's role as both a professional society and labor organization. He has contributed to nursing scholarship through co-authored publications, including 'Promoting Nursing Students' Ethical Development in the Simulation Setting' (2017, Teaching and Learning in Nursing) and 'Integrating a Professional Apprenticeship Model with Traditional Nursing Education' (2011, Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing). A dedicated leader, Dr. Crider served two terms as President of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association from 2016 to 2020 and currently acts as its Young Nurse Professional Leadership Consultant. He was President of the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania during his undergraduate years, President of the California League for Nursing, a three-time delegate to American Nurses Association assemblies from Pennsylvania and California, and has held board positions with state chapters of the American Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and National League for Nursing. An honorary member of the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania, he was appointed in 2019 to the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission’s Advisory Committee on Emergency Room Treatment and Behavioral Health to study behavioral health needs and emergency department impacts.