Clinical Excellence and Nursing Civility: A Conversation With Ginger Peterson
Written by:
Wilson College Online
• Jun 9, 2026
Ginger Peterson, DNP, RN, CNE, doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be a nurse. When she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1987, she made that dream a reality.
“My first position was on a med-surg floor at the local hospital here in Chambersburg,” she said. “I was taking care of patients after they had brain surgery or back surgery.”
From there, Peterson went on to work in a number of types of settings. She’s worked in home health, urology, outpatient care, and general surgery, among other specialty areas, as well as in nurse management. Along the way, she met her husband, a physical therapist, and started a family.
But despite having a varied and fulfilling career, Peterson wanted to put her skills to use in a new way. In 2018, she earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nursing Education and began sharing her expertise with a new generation of nurses. Now her students are the licensed practical nurses (LPNs), registered nurses (RNs), and other professionals enrolled in Wilson College Online’s nursing programs.
Finding Her Home at Wilson College
At the beginning of her nursing education career, before she earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Educational Leadership, Peterson worked part time as a clinical instructor for three nursing schools. She spent much of her time at Chambersburg Hospital guiding students as they practiced new skills.
“I really loved what I was doing,” she said. “And then COVID hit, and nursing students couldn’t be in the hospital.”
Peterson knew she needed to pivot, so she started looking for a more stable, full-time teaching position. Fortunately, she didn’t have to look long, and, in 2020, she found her new home at Wilson College. What stood out most to her about Wilson was that the nursing faculty came from a wide range of professional backgrounds but worked together seamlessly with one goal in mind.
“We have a sole purpose of being the best instructors we can be and helping our students be very successful in their learning,” she said.
Crafting a Career-Oriented Online Nursing Program
Another reason Peterson was attracted to Wilson was that, when she arrived, the school was working on making many of its nursing degree programs available completely online. When she was pursuing her MSN, Peterson had also earned a graduate certificate in online teaching for adult educators. This was her chance to put the skills she’d learned in that certificate program to use.
“I want to teach online,” she said. “That is the reason why I went back to school to get my master’s degree. That was the final destination.” However, in addition to teaching the online courses at Wilson, Peterson has been instrumental in designing them as well.
For example, in the LPN to BSN program, she has helped shape the assignment in which students are asked to record themselves conducting various types of patient health assessments. Instructors grade them by going down a checklist to make sure they’ve covered everything.
“Now part of the assignment is they have to watch themselves on video and follow along on the checklist as if they’re grading themselves,” Peterson said. “They can see themselves being successful. That helps to increase self-efficacy and self-confidence. They can reevaluate.”
Peterson said this exercise also allows students to play the part of nurse manager and evaluate themselves as they would an employee or trainee.
By being intentional with these small yet important details, Peterson and her colleagues are setting their students up not just to become registered nurses in the near future but also to become leaders down the road.
Fostering Healthy Healthcare Communities
With her years of clinical and leadership experience, Peterson offers her students invaluable insights into what healthcare organizations look for when they hire and promote nurses. Technical skills are only part of the formula.
“The other thing we like to stress is professionalism and nursing civility,” she said of Wilson’s approach to preparing nurses for career advancement. “It’s very important, because the person who suffers from nursing incivility is the patient. We can’t have that in the healthcare system.”
To promote nursing civility, Peterson and her colleagues grade students on their professionalism as they assess patients and evaluate themselves. Wilson also offers classes on nursing leadership that teach students how to promote positive work environments. Peterson says cooperation and teamwork are woven into the very fabric of Wilson College’s mission.
“Starting this year, we are going to be giving out two Cynthia Clark awards to students,” she said, noting that the awards will go to students who promote nursing civility themselves. “Cynthia Clark is a present-day nurse who is doing fantastic work with nursing civility.”
Get the Support You Need to Advance in Your Nursing Career
In her time at Wilson College, Ginger Peterson, DNP, RN, CNE, has helped her colleagues build the school’s online nursing programs on foundations of clinical excellence and professionalism. From her perspective, though, she’s just giving her hardworking students what they deserve.
“They are motivated,” she said, specifically referencing Wilson’s online LPN to BSN students. “They’re working full time. They’re juggling families a lot of the time. They have a lot going on, and yet they want to advance in the profession. You got to respect that, right?”
To find out more about Wilson College Online’s multiple bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs and discover which one is right for you, request more information today.
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