Maria Overstreet, PhD, RN

Dr. Overstreet earned her PhD in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2009. Her selected studies focused on nursing education methodologies including adult education and the use of nursing clinical simulation and debriefing exercises. Dr. Overstreet’s research focused on the current practice of nursing clinical simulation debriefing. Overstreet’s research findings led to the identification of three new patterns among educators and Fellows alike: accentuate the positive, higher order thinking, and experience counts.

Those patterns have driven Dr. Overstreet to focus on creating successful mentoring partnerships between the Fellows and faculty at MTSA. Serving as a mentor to nursing and nurse anesthesia Fellows at both the masters and doctoral levels, as well as faculty, Dr. Overstreet strives to look at the whole person when evaluating and advising on successes and areas for improvement. Consideration of the mentee’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and social health are just as important as their academic status, and Dr. Overstreet encourages mentors to incorporate strategies to ensure the mentee walks away with attainable goals and expectations, as well as resources they may need for support along their educational journey.

In 2017, Dr. Overstreet joined the Georgia Independent Colleges Association’s Higher Education Leadership Development (HELD) Mentor Program, where she provides one-on-one mentorship in development of leadership and skills in higher education for new Deans of a university in that state.

While away from campus, Dr. Overstreet enjoys growing summer fruits and vegetables and watching the daily antics of her foster cats and squirrel.

  • Advanced Mentoring Skills