Coming full circle: Russellville’s Jason Smith serves as UNA professor
It’s a common saying that everything comes around full circle, and for Russellville native Jason Smith, that is exactly what has happened in his life and career.
In 1997 Smith graduated from Russellville High School and left to attend college at the University of Alabama before transferring to the University of North Alabama two years later. Fast forward 20 years, and Smith is back in Russellville, continuing his career in nursing – as a professor at his alma mater.
“It’s like everything came full circle. I graduated from the University of North Alabama, and now 15 years later, here I am, teaching there,” Smith said.
Smith graduated from UNA in 2002. Then his career took him to Nashville, Tenn., where he worked at the Vanderbilt Medical Center as a critical care nurse until 2007.
“I really like working with population health and getting to be bedside with patients,” he said.
After Nashville he moved to Houston, Texas, where he was accepted into the PhD program at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
“When I started, the program was clinical-based, but then it changed and became research based. I prefer clinical-based work,” Smith explained.
So he then transferred back to the University of Alabama and earned his doctorate in nursing practice in 2011.
Smith said he always knew he wanted to be in some sort of education role, and in Texas he was able to pursue that. He became the director of nursing education and developed a curriculum that ended up being passed by the Texas Board of Nursing. After that he went on to teach at Houston Community College before finally deciding to move back home.
“I moved back to be with my family and help them, and I’ve enjoyed it so far,” Smith said.
Currently he is teaching health assessment at UNA’s Anderson College of Nursing.
“It’s surreal being back on that campus. You never know where your path is going to lead you,” he said.
Smith said he feels like this is where he is supposed to be – which makes sense, since one of his high school teachers is the reason he started becoming interested in the healthcare field.
“I always said that I wanted to be in school for the rest of my life, and the way to do that is to become a professor. And I like it here – it’s a community,” Smith said.
Smith is also a member of the National League of Nursing and has received certification as an academic nursing educator.
Community involvement in Franklin County plays into his role on the recruitment committee. He visited Phil Campbell recently and spoke with the students about pursuing a career in nursing. “Teaching, service and research” is how he describes his profession.
When he isn’t teaching over the summer, Smith said he plans to continue practicing nursing because he believes to be the best teacher he can be, he must be a practitioner as well.
