Employment History:

Published Works:

Public Speaking Experience:

Why F is an Expert:
I know a little bit about a lot of things. One of my skills has to do with teaching: I set goals, help students achieve their goals and ensure they learn what they need to. I try to teach in a variety of ways. We try to have something for every student in each class.

Best Advice:
One big thing it takes is concern for other people. You are going to get in trouble if you are not compassionate.

Passionate about:
I’m passionate about how people are treated. They need to be treated with respect and dignity. When I see people being mistreated by someone, it bothers me.

Biography Excerpt:
Fredona Stenger is an associate professor emeritus at West Virginia University. During her nearly forty-year career at WVU, she taught at all levels of the undergraduate program, covering maternal, child, and community and school health. Before she retired in 2002, Ms. Stenger prepared students to take a practical approach to care, while maintaining a compassionate disposition. “Caring is the basis of all of nursing,” she points out. “If you don’t care, you can’t really do very much.”

     

Cambridge Who's Who: What is the most difficult obstacle or challenge you have faced in pursuit of your goals?  
FREDONA STENGER :  One challenge was not having anyone who used any audiovisual materials – they were not being well used. I was assigned to help faculty integrate computers and materials that were audiovisual. I didn’t look forward to that, but I went ahead and did it. I knew about it and I had that expertise, but instructing other people was frightening. It turned out to be a good thing in the nursing school because computers began to be used more.

What is the most significant issue facing your profession today?
There is a nursing shortage, which is happening everywhere. [Nursing] is not the most enhancing kind of career. Taking care of sick people and trying to help people you have never seen before takes a lot of energy and understanding. I think part of it is because there are so many opportunities available for so many people. We have a society of young people who are more focused on themselves than on other people. However, that is beginning to change because both males and females are starting to recognize that nursing is a good field in which to work.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
The one thing that I consider a significant professional accomplishment to date is helping to develop the West Virginia University curriculum to focus on nursing and not use a medical model. Nursing is different from medicine. The curriculum was developed with a focus on the person, not the disease.