Dr. Patenaude earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Plymouth State University and completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Nursing at Rivier University. Her experience in healthcare spans over 40 years. Dr. Patenaude’s professional nursing experience includes working as a registered nurse in medical-surgical, critical care, and long-term care in both direct clinical and leadership/administrative roles; and more than 20 years as an educator at the Associate, and Baccalaureate levels, as well as graduate teaching in health-related disciplines. Her leadership experience includes department chair, as well as program director. Moreover, Dr. Patenaude was one of the first nurse educators in the state of New Hampshire to earn the designation Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) through the National League of Nursing (NLN) in 2007 and maintains certification to date, and hold active membership in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), as well as the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL).

 Teaching Philosophy

As an educator, Dr. Patenaude’s ss goal is to provide a supportive learning environment. She seeks to partner with students to create a mutual teaching and learning continuum wherein we all learn from each other.  This spirit of inquiry is encouraged through discovery so that students and faculty alike find meaning within their own professional practice, within a framework of mutual respect.