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Victoria Hughes, DNS, MSN, RN

Specialties and Expertise
- Administration/Health Systems Mngmt
- Leadership/Organizational Culture
- Men's Health
- Mental Health
- Neurology/Neurobiology
- Resilience/Stress Coping
- Self Care
- Substance Use/Addiction
- Violence
Overview
Victoria Hughes has served in various clinical, educational, and leadership positions over the past 31 years. She retired as a colonel after 27 years of service within the United States Air Force. Her mental health clinical background includes working with children, adolescents, adults, and families in inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient programs. Dr. Hughes obtained the Adult Psychiatric/Mental Health CNS certification in 1996 and was recognized as a certified alcohol and drug abuse counselor in 1998. She earned a doctor of nursing science degree from Louisiana State University Health Science Center, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a master’s degree in counseling and human development from Troy State University, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina. She has a decade of teaching and course development experience that includes serving as a dean for an associate degree health science program. In addition, she has served in leadership positions as a director of nursing and a clinic CEO.
Additional Resources
Below are selected resources. For more information, please see full CV.
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Publications/Research
Hughes, V., Chow, S., Flanagan, E.D. (2021). Air Force Executive Nurse Leadership Impact: Brigadier General Diann Hale O’Connor, Air Force Nurse Corps Chief From 1982-1985. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab045.
Turkson-Ocran, R.N., Aryitey, A.A., Erol, D., Hwang, D.A., Nkimbeng, M.J., and Hughes, V. (2020). Promoting interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships in clinical care. Journal of Christian Nursing (accepted for publication with recommended changes).
Hughes, V., Trojanowski, M. & Priode, K. (2020). Living up to the job: Confessions of a Brigadier General on the lived experiences of becoming a leader in the Air Force Nurse Corps. Nursing Outlook, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.05.002.
Hughes, V., Priode, K., Wenzel, J. (2020). Trouble-making, transformation, and tradition: A transcultural review of nurse leaders’ perspectives in the Republic of Ireland. Athens Journal of Health and Medical Sciences, 7, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.30958/ajhms.X-Y-Z.
Hughes, V., Delva, S., Nkimbeng, M. Spaulding, E., Turkson-Ocran, R., Cudjoe, J., Ford, A., Rushton, C., D’Aoust, R., & Han, H. (2020). Not missing the opportunity: Strategies to promote cultural humility among future nursing faculty. Journal of Professional Nursing, 36(1), 28-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurse.2019.06.005.
Chaus, M., Tijones, R., Irimaghan, B., Defabachew, W., Lemma, M., & Hughes, V. (2019). Building sustainable international nursing collaborations, COJ Nursing and Healthcare, 5(3), 543-546. doi: 10.31031/COJNH.2019.05.000616.
Hughes, V., Pollitt, P., Coke, L.A., & D’Aoust, R.F. (2019). Advocacy: An essential competency of the clinical nurse specialist, Issues in Advanced Practice, 30(4).
Hughes, V. & Gray, T. (2019, Oct 1). The first female Hispanic General in the United States Air Force was a nurse: Brigadier General Carmelita Vigil Schimmenti. Nurse Leader, 17(5), 457-460.
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Awards/Honors
2020 Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN)
2019 Nursing Leadership Institute Fellow, University of Maryland
2018 Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute Patient Safety and Quality Leadership Scholar
2017 Leadership for Academic Nursing Program (LANP) Fellow
2013 Legion of Merit Medal
2013 Air Force Patient Centered Medical Home of the Year
2011 Department of Defense Ambulatory Clinic Patient Safety Program of the Year
2009 Squadron AETC CINC Special Recognition Award
2006 AFMC Education and Training Nurse of the Year
2000 Federal Woman of the Year, Maxwell AFB
1991 Athlete of the Year, Eglin Air Force Base
1990 Nurse of the Year, AFSC Regional Hospital, Eglin AFB