Wilbanks, Wright join MC School of Nursing faculty

Chelcie Wilbanks, left, instructor of nursing (maternal/newborn), and Darbi Grace Wright, instructor of nursing (medical-surgical), have joined the Mississippi Christian University faculty.

Chelcie Wilbanks, an MC alum and RN with nearly 20 years of experience as a staff nurse and clinic nurse in obstetrics and gynecology and in labor and delivery at Jackson-area hospitals, and Darbi Grace Wright, an RN with more than a decade of service in nursing at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, are among the latest faculty additions to the School of Nursing at Mississippi Christian University (MC).

Wilbanks will serve as an instructor of nursing (maternal/newborn), while Wright will serve as an instructor of nursing (medical-surgical).

Kelly Harden, professor and dean of the MC School of Nursing, said Wilbanks is well qualified to teach women’s health nursing.

“Chelcie brings years of experience in this specialty area,” Harden said. “She also teaches beginning nursing students in the Foundations of Nursing course. Her remarkable personal testimony has shaped her nursing ministry and inspires the compassionate, servant-hearted approach she brings to the classroom. Students will benefit greatly from her genuine care for others and her passion for investing in their lives.”

Wilbanks earned her Bachelor of Nursing at MC and her Master of Science in Nursing Education at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She served as a staff nurse in obstetrics receiving/women’s urgent care and in labor and delivery at UMMC, as a clinic nurse in the OB-GYN Clinic at Jackson Healthcare for Women, and as a staff nurse in labor and delivery at St. Dominic.

Certified in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support by the American Heart Association, Wilbanks also holds professional certification by the American Academy of Pediatrics in its Neonatal Resuscitation Program and by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses in intermediate fetal monitoring.

Harden said Wright brings a diverse nursing background to the MC School of Nursing.

“She completed part of her clinical training at MC while pursuing her master’s degree in nurse education,” Harden said, “and it quickly became clear that she would be an excellent fit for our School of Nursing. In addition to her clinical expertise, she has participated in mission work locally, throughout Mississippi and internationally. Her enthusiastic spirit, caring nature and energetic approach will be a wonderful asset as she works with our first-semester nursing students.”

Wright earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mississippi University for Women and her Master of Science in Nursing from UMMC. A member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, she has served as a float pool nurse technician, a staff nurse in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and a staff nurse in Cardiovascular Holding at St. Dominic.

Certified in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support by the American Heart Association, Wright also holds National Institutes of Health comprehensive stroke certification.