Faculty Profile

Melynda Thelen, PhD, MSN, RN, CHSE

Assistant Professor, Nursing

Dr. Thelen brings expertise to her role as a nursing educator and researcher at the University of Sioux Falls School of Nursing. She splits her time between teaching nursing students and serving as dissertation chair for the Doctorate in Leadership program, drawing from her rich clinical background in pediatrics, NICU, and family practice.

In the classroom, Dr. Thelen is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and Nurse Educator, she teaches a wide range of courses - from basic nursing fundamentals to pharmacology and evidence-based practice. She's especially passionate about hands-on learning, running nursing labs, and leading high-fidelity simulations that help students bridge the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world practice. Her research zeroes in on how students learn through simulation, with a special focus on pharmacology and medication competence.

Dr. Thelen's academic journey took her from South Dakota State University, where she earned both her BSN and PhD in Nursing, to Nebraska Wesleyan University for her MSN in nursing education. She stays at the forefront of her field through active membership in several professional organizations, including the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. She's also a member of prestigious honor societies Sigma Theta Tau International and Phi Kappa Phi, reflecting her ongoing commitment to advancing nursing education and practice.

Dr. Thelen makes her home in Sioux Falls, where she lives near her grown children and parents.

Education

BSN, Nursing, South Dakota State University, 1997

MSN, Nursing Education, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2006

PhD, Nursing, South Dakota State University, 2021

Courses Taught

NUR200 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

NUR305 Cultural, Spiritual, and Ethical Dimensions of Holistic Care

NUR321 Fundamentals of Nursing

NUR321 Fundamental of Nursing Lab

NUR321 Fundamentals of Nursing Clinical

NUR327 Pharmacology for Nursing

NUR354 Evidence-Based Nursing Practice

NUR431 Nursing Capstone

Publications

Thelen, M. A. (2023). A scrambling active learning design to improve accelerated nursing students’ perceived pharmacology self-efficacy: A quasi-experimental study. Science Talks, 5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sctalk.2023.100166

Thelen, M. A. (2022). Medication competence: A concept analysis. Nurse Education Today, 111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105292

Thelen, M. A. (2021). The impact of online synchronous simulated clinical immersions on nursing students’ pharmacology self-efficacy: A pre-test post-test intervention pilot study. Nurse Education Today, 100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104833

Rainboth, L., & DeMasi, C. (2006). Nursing students’ mathematic calculation skills. Nurse Education Today, 26(8), 655-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2006.07.022

Education

  • M.S.N., Science in Nursing, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2006
  • B.S.N., Nursing, South Dakota State University, 1997
  • Ph.D. in Nursing, Medication competence and nursing pharmacology education, South Dakota State University, 2021

Courses Taught

  • NUR220 - Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
  • NUR327 - Pharmacology for Nurses
  • NUR305 - Spiritual and Ethical Dimensions of Holistic Care
  • NUR231 - Fundamentals of Nursing

Professional Memberships

Sigma Theta Tau International: Honor Society of Nursing

Membership is by invitation to baccalaureate and graduate nursing students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship and to nursing leaders exhibiting exceptional achievements in nursing.

Member of National League of Nursing

The National League for Nursing promotes excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the nation's health.

Society for Simulation in Healthcare

This organization facilitates excellence in (multi-specialty) health care education, practice and through research through simulation modalities.

International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning

Promotes research and disseminates evidence base practice standards for clinical simulation methodologies and learning environments.

Phi Kappa Phi

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the unity and democracy of education.

Golden Key International Honor Society

The Golden Key International Honor Society recognizes academic achievement among college and university students. 

Expertise

  • Nursing
  • Healthcare Simulation

Research

Research focus areas

  • Nursing student's mathematic calculation skills
  • Simulation-based learning
  • Medication competence among nursing students
  • Nursing educational research 
  • Medication competence concept analysis

Scholarships and Creative Work

Articles
  • Thelen, M. (2021). The impact of online synchronous simulated clinical immersions on nursing students' pharmacology self-efficacy knowledge: A pretest posttest intervention pilot study. Nurse Education Today, 100(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104833
  • Rainboth, L., & DeMasi, C. (2006). Nursing students' mathematic calculation skills. Nurse Education Today, 26(8), 655-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2006.07.022
Presentations
  • Thelen, M. (2021, March). The impact of online synchronous simulated clinical immersions on nursing students' pharmacology self-efficacy knowledge: A pretest posttest intervention pilot study. Presented at Midwest Nursing Research Society, Sioux Falls, SD.
  • Thelen, M. (2017, February). Essentials in Simulation. Presented at HPSN World 2017, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
  • Rabine, M, (2016, February). Essentials in Simulation. Presented at HPSN World 2016, Tampa, Florida
  • Rabine, M. (2012, October). Moulage Course. Presented at Central Regional SimDay, Sioux Falls, SD.
  • Rabine, M. (2012, October). Bringing Simulation to Life: Utilizing Role Playing, Moulage, and Debriefing. Presented at Central Regional SimDay, Sioux Falls, SD.

Service/Volunteer Work

Feed my Starving Children: Mobilepack

Volunteers come together to help pack meals to be sent overseas to feed children and families in need.

Whittier Middle School Visit Day

I have been leading the introduction to nursing module for 10 years now. The module consist of teaching the middle school children on how to use a stethascope to listen to the heart sounds, lung sounds, and bowel sounds of an adult and baby high human simulator. Also, the children are taught how to put on personal protective equipment (gown, gloves, mask). 

Nursing Educator Today Manuscript Reviewer

Nurse Education Today is the leading international journal providing a forum for the publication of high-quality original research, review, and debate in the discussion of nursing, midwifery, and interprofessional health care education, publishing papers that contribute to the advancement of educational theory and pedagogy that support the evidence-based practice for educationalists worldwide. The journal stimulates and values critical scholarly debate on issues that have strategic relevance for leaders of health care education. The journal employs a double-blind peer review process for all submissions and its current Impact Factor is 3.442 making it one of the leading nursing education journals.