As we celebrate Nurses Month, we at USAHS wanted to get a sense of what a typical workday is like for a nurse manager. We asked alum Ahnnya Slaughter, DNP, to tell us all about a day in her life. Dr. Slaughter graduated in 2021 from USAHS’ Doctor of Nursing Practice program, the Nurse Executive role specialty.
Coming from a military family, she began working at a VA hospital in the Los Angeles area 30 years ago as a critical care RN. “Veterans deserve the best care,” she says. “My calling wasn’t to be in the military. This is my way of being able to serve the country.”
Over the years, she worked her way up, through positions such as informatics specialist, deputy nurse executive, and director of clinical staff development. She began Read more
DPT, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
MBA, Rollins College
BS in Physical Therapy, Florida International University
Research Interests
Use of mobile apps to improve patient outcomes
Education’s influence on neck pain, and how students learn
BACKGROUND
Prior to joining the university, she held administrative positions in several health care facilities during her 30-year career. She also started and managed several health-related businesses. At the University of Central Florida, she served as an instructor and lecturer in the doctoral program in Physical Therapy and the Department of Health Management and Informatics. She was also the assistant director of the Physical Therapy program. Her clinical experience includes working as director of Rehabilitation Services at Florida Hospital East Orlando, a physical therapist and clinical coordinator at the Orlando Sports Medicine Center, director of clinical services at the Center for Orthopedic Physical Therapy and Rehab, and a physical therapist at Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida. For more than a decade, she was CEO of Orlando Physical Therapy, which offered outpatient and home health services.
Dr. Schack-Dugre’ has been a presenter at professional conferences across the United States, including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting and Annual Conference, and the Florida Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference. She has also received numerous research grants.
She is an active volunteer with the Florida Executive Women association and the APTA. She is also an APTA Leadership Mentor in the Institute for Leadership in Physical Therapy. For five years, she served on the board of Seniors First, a nonprofit community agency. Dr. Schack-Dugre’ is currently pursuing her EdD at the university.
