Title: Assistant Teaching Professor
Company: The Pennsylvania State University, Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
Location: Aspers, Pennsylvania, United States
Anne Marie Devney, retired commander in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps and assistant teaching professor at The Pennsylvania State University’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in nursing education and veteran care.
Dr. Devney has served others as a nurse and an educator for a professional life spanning 55 years. This extensive journey started when she joined the Nurse Corps of the U.S. Navy. Across 20 years in the military, Dr. Devney achieved the rank of commander. She retired from military service in the late 1980s only to begin an even longer tenure of civilian work.
In 1989, Dr. Devney joined the College of Lake County as its director of health services. In this role, she gained initial experience working with a student population and built her interest in teaching. Dr. Devney also spent time affiliated with WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital. Her association with that institution allowed her to serve the community of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where the hospital has existed for 100 years.
After leaving the College of Lake County in 2007, Dr. Devney made the full shift into education, becoming a clinical instructor at The Pennsylvania State University. While she has continued in this capacity, she has also taken on additional responsibilities as an assistant teaching professor at the university’s Ross and Carole Nese College of Nursing in 2013. Building on her military experience, Dr. Devney specializes in care for veterans, as well as geriatric nursing. She is deeply devoted to the teaching process with young nurses and ensuring that they can grow to provide strong, compassionate care to patients in the future.
Before venturing onto her vocational path, Dr. Devney assured herself she would have the skills to succeed through her own education, beginning with two Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, one from The George Washington University and one from the University of Rhode Island in 1970. Following that, she obtained a Master of Science in Nursing and a Master of Education, both from the University of Wyoming. After completing her military service, Dr. Devney earned a Doctor of Education with a focus on adult education from Northern Illinois University in 1994. She was certified as a nurse educator in 2018.
Dr. Devney has been a member of several important organizations relevant to her field. She maintains membership in the Navy Nurse Corps Association, The American Legion, the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing. Dr. Devney has been invited to give presentations at multiple conferences, including those associated with the American College Health Association. Among her professional presentations, she is particularly proud of a 2018 talk and paper on tools for rapidly reducing anxiety for nursing staff, faculty and students. Additionally, Dr. Devney has written an article comparing the 1918 flu pandemic to the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of nursing education and preparation. She hopes to see this piece published soon.
Outside of her military and civilian careers, Dr. Devney is a loving wife whose spouse is pursuing a doctorate in social work. She finds calm in her free time by raising chickens and ducks. Dr. Devney is committed to continuing to advocate for advancements in nursing education that lead to improved health care outcomes. She is driven by the mindset of “for me, by me, with me,” a guiding principle that she seeks to instill in all of her nursing students.
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