{"id":76785,"date":"2026-05-07T08:59:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=76785"},"modified":"2026-05-21T08:24:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:24:38","slug":"happy-its-where-i-ended-brooke-williams-closes-a-chapter-as-a-dnp-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/happy-its-where-i-ended-brooke-williams-closes-a-chapter-as-a-dnp-student\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Happy it\u2019s where I ended:\u2019\u00a0Brooke Williams closes a chapter as a\u00a0DNP student\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A

Brooke Williams will graduate from UTC’s Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner program. Photo by Hannah Burrell.<\/p><\/div>\n

Outside of her already busy life as a student in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Brooke Williams works as a pediatric home health nurse, a sexual assault nurse examiner and a clinical adjunct instructor at Chattanooga State Community College.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Friday, May 8, Williams will cross one of these roles off her list and add a \u201cDr.\u201d honorific to her name.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams, a Nashville native, will graduate with a DNP with a Family Nurse Practitioner concentration. She is part of the second DNP-FNP cohort at UTC and the first to graduate under the newly established College of Nursing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her path to UTC was not straightforward. Williams began her undergraduate studies at UTC before transferring to ChattState, where she earned her associate degree in nursing. She completed a bachelor\u2019s degree in nursing online through Chamberlain University.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere were things that I didn\u2019t feel like aligned with what I felt my education needed as a nurse practitioner,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThat is when I started looking at other schools.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She found her way back to UTC, though just barely. When she found the program\u2019s website, the application deadline had passed. She reached out to Dr. Amber Roche, coordinator of the program, and was granted an extension.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very religious, so I was like, this is the Lord,\u201d Williams said. \u201cUTC is not where I started, but I\u2019m really, really happy it\u2019s where I ended.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

====================================================<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Click here for more UTC Commencement 2026 stories<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

====================================================<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams began building her career long before she stepped into a doctoral program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After graduating from nursing school, she completed a pediatric residency at Erlanger Health System, where she was matched to the pediatric emergency room.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She later worked at Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute before working in pediatric home health\u2014caring for medically complex infants and children who required nursing care at home.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI loved that,\u201d she said. \u201cI actually still do that today.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Around that same time, Williams earned her certification as a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) through Partnership, a Chattanooga organization that helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She also returned to ChattState as a clinical adjunct instructor, <\/span>guiding<\/span> the next generation of nursing students through simulations and clinical rotations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI still do that too,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cAll of these jobs, they\u2019ve just kind of happened all at once.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The through line between all of these roles\u2014and in her future career as a nurse practitioner\u2014is patient autonomy, which she described as her greatest passion in nursing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMeeting patients where they are is probably the most rewarding thing as a nurse and a future nurse practitioner,\u201d she said. \u201cGiving patients a sense that they\u2019re in the midst of the care plan. They\u2019re a huge part of how it\u2019s constructed and created.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams said it is important that her patients \u201cunderstand their rights,\u201d and that placing their needs first is simply part of the job.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the provider is not listening to you, leave,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s your body … If you feel like you\u2019re not being heard, that\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***********<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a SANE, Williams noticed something troubling. Despite being at a statistically vulnerable age, she said UTC students rarely sought out services at Partnership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were like, \u2018Why do we never see UTC students at Partnership?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cIs it that they don\u2019t understand consent? They don\u2019t understand what sexual assault looks like\u2014or do they just not know that we even exist?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams worked alongside classmate Amanda Rice, developing a series of sexual assault informational sessions for undergraduate students at UTC. They partnered with Emily Rosenquist, UTC\u2019s Title IX student specialist, through an initiative called \u201cDon\u2019t Cancel Your Class.\u201d The program allows faculty to invite guest educators into their classroom sessions rather than <\/span>canceling<\/span> when they\u2019re away.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sessions were designed to make the subject more approachable and included pre-surveys and post-surveys. The team moved away from clinical language and reframed sexual assault as \u201can uncomfortable situation that you didn\u2019t consent to.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat got really good feedback,\u201d Williams said. \u201cIndividuals were like, \u2018We\u2019ve never had anything like this.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

UTC is set to implement a new sexual assault education module this summer, informed in part by Williams and Rice\u2019s research. Their presentation was added to the \u201cDo Not Cancel Class\u201d offerings available to instructors across campus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe took a problem, we created a solution, and now it looks great,\u201d Williams said. \u201cNow it needs to stay on UTC\u2019s campus so students can know what they have available to them if they ever need to use it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Brooke Williams (yellow scrubs) participates in a simulation while DNP classmate Amanda Rice plays the role of a patient. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the experiences Williams said shaped her most as a clinician happened next to a campus Coke machine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

UTC\u2019s DNP-FNP program features a simulation lab that resembles a working doctor\u2019s office. Students are observed through one-way glass by faculty while working through patient encounters with trained simulation actors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams described the cohort\u2019s last simulation as \u201cextremely eye-opening.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not in a clinical setting,\u201d she said. \u201cThey set it up to where we were going out into the community to help homeless individuals.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sim room was arranged to look like the space a homeless person might occupy. The actor was waiting and Williams walked in with nothing but a stethoscope.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s those situations where I thought you wouldn\u2019t get this without the hands-on experience,\u201d she said. \u201cAll we went in with was our stethoscope. How do you assess someone like that? What do you ask? How do you approach them?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Experiences like these are what Williams said sets UTC apart.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSimulation as a whole has shaped so much how I walk into a room, what I ask and how I talk to people,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThey\u2019re terrifying, don\u2019t get me wrong. But that is your safe space. You can mess up and get feedback. You can take your time. It is such a great learning environment for going into this career.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams said the program\u2019s small size means students can receive individualized attention from faculty.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUTC has truly provided an extremely strong, concrete foundation for my career and my overall being as a nurse practitioner,\u201d she said. \u201cThe instructors are phenomenal … They\u2019ve really launched all of us into a great career and given us the tools and knowledge that we need to do it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Brooke Williams plays the role of provider during a simulation with two Erlanger nursing residents. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

As graduation approaches, Williams is thinking about the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She plans to continue her <\/span>work<\/span> as a SANE at Partnership and in pediatric home health, and said teaching remains one of her favorite jobs\u2014one that she has no intentions of leaving behind.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom and dad make fun of me because when I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher so bad,\u201d she said. \u201cI would spread my stuffed animals out, pass papers out to them and teach them. Then I said I wanted to be a nurse\u2014and then I became a teacher anyway.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams said primary care and women\u2019s health are where her heart is, and she expects to land in a clinic setting seeing patients across the lifespan. She\u2019s open to returning to UTC in a teaching role one day, particularly once the new <\/span>Dorothy and Jim Kennedy Health Sciences Building<\/span><\/b><\/a> is complete.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with the faculty that taught me? One million percent,\u201d she said. \u201cThe new simulation lab would pull me back.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her work inside and outside the classroom did not go unnoticed. Williams was named a recipient of <\/span>UTC\u2019s Outstanding Graduate Student Award<\/span><\/b><\/a>, which honors students who demonstrate <\/span>exceptional <\/span>academic achievement and leadership, and who go above and beyond in their research and service to the campus community.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the DNP program, Williams said it changed how she thinks about her role in healthcare.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou really bridge up when it comes to that leadership role,\u201d she said. \u201cDigging into evidence, finding gaps in research and saying, \u2018How can I make the nursing profession better? How can I continue to improve the quality of care that patients receive?\u2019 That\u2019s what a DNP gives you the tools to do.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Photo by Hannah Burrell<\/p><\/div>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

UTC Doctor of Nursing Practice<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Outside of her already busy life as a student in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at UTC, Brooke Williams works as a pediatric home health nurse, a sexual assault nurse examiner and a clinical adjunct instructor at Chattanooga State Community College.\u00a0On Friday, May 8, Williams will cross one of these roles off her list and add a \u201cDr.\u201d honorific to her name.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":76802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[661,70,56,4936,3,122493,122313,52,64,48007],"tags":[126597,126296,126596,127087,124078,126926,10648,127086,124483,127069,127072,127061,12852,124426],"class_list":{"0":"post-76785","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","9":"category-college-of-nursing","10":"category-community","11":"category-education","12":"category-experiential-learning","13":"category-graduate-school","14":"category-news","15":"category-research-academics","16":"category-students","17":"tag-amanda-rice","18":"tag-amber-roache-2","19":"tag-brooke-williams","20":"tag-chamberlain-university","21":"tag-chattstate","22":"tag-commencement-2026","23":"tag-dnp","24":"tag-dnp-family-nurse-practitioner","25":"tag-doctor-of-nursing-practice","26":"tag-goal-1-2-enhance-learner-success-strategic-plan-2030","27":"tag-goal-3-1-innovative-and-impactful-research-strategic-plan-2030","28":"tag-goal-5-1-community-engagement-strategic-plan-2030","29":"tag-partnership-for-families-children-and-adults","30":"tag-simulation","31":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Happy 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