Felisa West
Biography
Felisa West is a nurse leader and educator with more than two decades of experience in pediatric and neonatal nursing, healthcare leadership, quality improvement, and professional development. She has served in progressive leadership roles across nationally recognized organizations, including Stanford Children’s Health, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and USC Keck Medicine.
Dr. West earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership from Duke University, where she was selected as a Nurse Faculty Scholar. She is nationally certified as a Nurse Executive Advanced–Board Certified (NEA-BC). Her expertise includes nursing administration, clinical education, workforce development, patient safety, quality improvement, and practice transformation, with a particular focus on neonatal and pediatric critical care.
Her scholarly interests include nurse well-being and resilience, leadership development, workforce transition, quality improvement, and innovative nursing education. Her doctoral work examined mindfulness and resilience strategies to reduce burnout and promote well-being among pediatric critical care nurse new graduates at Duke Children’s Hospital.
Dr. West is passionate about developing the next generation of nurse leaders. Within Pepperdine’s Entry Level Master's in Nursing, Clinical Nurse Leader program, she seeks to intentionally mentor leadership growth, confidence, clinical judgment, and professional purpose. She believes nursing education should prepare exceptional clinicians while cultivating servant leaders who recognize nursing as a meaningful calling.
At Pepperdine, Dr. West is honored to advance the University’s mission of purpose, service, and leadership by helping students discover and use their unique gifts to serve patients, families, communities, and the nursing profession.
Education
- Nurse Executive Advanced–Board Certified (NEA-BC), ANCC
- Registered Nurse (RN) License, State of California
- Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership, Duke University
- M.S.N., with a focus on Nursing Leadership, West Coast University
- B.S.N., Point Loma Nazarene University
Areas of Expertise
- Nursing Leadership and Healthcare Administration
- Nursing Education and Professional Development
- Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care Nursing
- Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
- Nurse Workforce Well-Being and Resilience
Topics
- Development and Mentorship of Future Nurse Leaders
- Clinical Nurse Leader Education and Leadership Development
- Burnout Prevention, Mindfulness, and Resilience in Nurses
- Transition to Practice and Nurse New Graduate Programs
- Pediatric and Neonatal Quality and Practice Transformation