Theresa Rajala-Halsey

Biography

Theresa has close to 40 years of nursing experience in the areas of acute care and nursing education.  She began her nursing career in 1985, graduating with an Associates Degree in Nursing from LSSU in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  She worked as a staff nurse, working in various units throughout the hospital.  In 1986, she took a position on the Cardiac Unit at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.  There she worked as a staff nurse.  She was a member of the charge nurse team, taught a rhythm interpretation class for new employees and trained to be the BLS Instructor for the Cardiac and CCU units.  In 1988, she took a position in the Emergency Department at Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, Wyoming.  There she worked as a staff nurse on the night shift and also trained as a transport nurse for the flight team.  Family brought her back to Michigan in 1990.  She accepted a position at Marquette General Hospital and was there until 2014.  During her years at MGH, she work as a staff nurse on the cardiac unit, in ICU and CCU, and in the Emergency Department before moving into a management position on the surgical unit. Throughout her career, she maintained an interest in educating the incoming generation of nurses through functioning as a preceptor, clinical instructor for Bay De Noc Community College, and staff development opportunities provided by the hospital.  In 2014, she chose to take advantage of a full time position in higher education.  She feels privileged to have been given the opportunity to bring her years of experience forward and influence the next generation of nurses.