Esmeralda Clark, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC, CNE,
Assistant Professor-in-Residence
Biography
Dr. Clark joined the UNLV School of Nursing in 2016 as a lecturer bringing a broad background as both a registered nurse and an advanced practice nurse. She is actively engaged in clinical practice as a family nurse practitioner in telehealth and urgent care settings, bridging academic teaching with real-world patient care.
Expertise
Dr. Clark’s clinical expertise spans critical care and trauma, where she served as a charge nurse in a Level I trauma center, and advanced practice in hospitalist care, trauma, primary care, urgent care, and telehealth. She is board-certified as a family nurse practitioner by the ANCC and is a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), reflecting her commitment to clinical excellence and nursing education.
Classes Taught
Dr. Clark has extensive experience teaching in clinical, didactic, and simulation environments across undergraduate and graduate programs. At UNLV, she has taught courses including Advanced Pathophysiology and Genetics I (NURS 704), Advanced Health Assessment (NURS 703), multiple Family Nurse Practitioner clinical and role courses, and a variety of undergraduate courses spanning fundamentals, pharmacology, and complex nursing care. She actively mentors graduate nursing students through clinical experiences and project guidance.
Education Background
Dr. Clark is a two time UNLV alumna, earning her BSN and MSN as aFamily Nurse Practitioner. She completed her PhD in Nursing Education at the University of Northern Colorado in 2023.
Research or Scholarship
Her scholarship centers on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing education and the profession. Her dissertation, “A Double-Edged Sword: Lived Experiences of Hispanic/Latino Nursing Students Who Speak English as an Additional Language,” explores the challenges and resilience of underrepresented nursing students. She has co-authored work on developing holistic admissions processes to promote diversity in nursing and presented nationally on nursing education and Latinx representation in the profession.
Awards, Recognitions, & Group affiliations
Dr. Clark is a three-time recipient of the Nevada Nurses Foundation “Shining Stars of Nursing in Nevada 50 Under 50 Award” (2021, 2023, 2024). She received UNLV’s Outstanding Didactic Teaching Award in 2020 and was nominated for the University of Northern Colorado’s Excellence in Dissertation Award in 2023.
Group Affiliations and Professional Organizations include AANP, ANA, NNA, Society of Trauma Nurses, Nevada Advanced Practice Nurses Association, NLN, AACN, Sigma Theta Tau Zeta Kappa Chapter, the Society of Latinx Nurses, and the Transcultural Nursing Society.