Maria Flores-Harris, DNP, RN, CNE, is a nurse educator with two decades of experience in clinical practice, academic settings, nursing education business, and education consulting.
Maria began her career by earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clemson University and a Master of Science focusing on the Geriatric Nurse Practitioner tract. Later, after hesitantly accepting a clinical teaching position but finding that she loved teaching, she obtained a Doctorate in Nursing Practice focusing on Nursing Education Leadership.
As a nurse, Maria spent most of her time in medical-surgical nursing and long-term care. She loved the variety and ever-changing experiences in medical-surgical settings and the opportunity to build a rapport with patients and their families. Geriatric patients were and still are her favorite because she loves to hear their stories and learn from their experiences.
Maria became a nurse educator more out of necessity than desire, but like so many unexpected things, it was surprisingly fulfilling and became a passion. Maria has taught at the Practical Nursing and Registered Nurse level and has served in clinical director and director roles.
Since 2011, Maria has been a nurse consultant with colleges and universities, providing support to improve student outcomes and faculty development. She is passionate about helping new educators transition from expert clinicians to expert educators.
In addition to working as a Nurse Educator Consultant for KeithRN, Maria enjoys travel and photography and combines these two activities as much as possible. She is a wife and mother of four felines, with many other four-legged children to come because outside of work, her family, which includes her animals, brings her the most joy!