Faculty Profile for Dr. Chris McClanahan

profile photo for Dr. Chris McClanahan
Dr. Chris McClanahan
Clinical Assistant Professor — St. David's School of Nursing
SON 228
phone: (512) 716-2950

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Dr. Chris McClanahan is a highly motivated, focused, outcomes oriented educator with experience in operating and managing multiple interprofessional simulation centers within large Central and West Texas Universities, and the clinical education department of a large private 400 bed hospital system in Central Texas. A dynamic and extremely aggressive leadership pathway has led to progressive leadership development, equitable systems management and successful educator and management roles. Dr. McClanahan received his Bachelors and Master of Science in Nursing from Lubbock Christian University in 2009 and 2010 respectively, and his Doctor of Nursing Practice from Texas Tech University in 2014. Dr. McClanahan’s doctoral research focus dives deep into the operational and management practices of clinical simulation centers in the U.S. Dr. McClanahan’s extensive experience in managing daily operations to provide high quality learning experiences and educational opportunities for medical students and clinical professionals of all disciplines thorough both simulation and didactic courses. Dr. McClanahan received his Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator certification in 2017 is evidence of his commitment to quality education. Dr. McClanahan holds membership in numerous professional organizations and has served as a reviewer for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s annual conference poster and podium presentations.

Teaching Interests

Leadership and management. Simulation operations and management. Simulation pedagogy.

Research Interests

Operations and management of interprofessional clinical simulation centers. Use of augmented reality/virtual reality in simulation to improve student and patient outcomes. Use of augmented reality/virtual reality in improving communication, patient care and safety.

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Jillapalli, R., McClanahan, C., Johnson, A., & Vaughan, P. W. (2023). Exploring differences in faculty versus student self-rating regarding acquisition of clinical judgment.
  • Tietze, M., McClanahan, C. T., & Gibbs, D. (2022). Chapter 30: Interprofessional Application of Health Information Technology in Education (invited, peer reviewed). In S. McBride & M. Tietze (Eds.), Nursing Informatics for the Advanced Practice Nurse, 3rd Edition. New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826185266.0030
  • Decker, S., McClanahan, C. T., & Caballero, S. (2020). Foundations of Simulation. In Mastering Simulation: A Handbook for Success 2nd Edition (pp. 1–22). Indianapolis, IN, United States: Sigm Theta Tau International. Retrieved from https://www.sigmanursing.org/MasteringSimulation2
  • Jillapalli, R., McClanahan, C., Johnson, A., & Vaughan, P. W. (2023). Acquisition of Clinical Judgment Among Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Students to Meet the Challenges of the Next Generation NCLEX-RN: A Pilot Study.
  • Smith, K. S., McClanahan, C., & Cooper, S. D. (2022). An examination of communication confidence in nurse practitioner students utilizing virtual simulation. Retrieved from https://web.cvent.com/event/ced7407a-cea5-4fc0-a7a8-df8f4989f1de/summary

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: American Journal of Nursing 2020 Book of the Year Award, American Journal of Nursing. January 2021 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: 2022 Book of the Year Award - First Place Award Winner, American Journal of Nursing. January 9, 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: 2017 College Achievement award for Excellence in Service, College of Health Professions Dean. August 2017

Selected Grants

  • Jillapalli, Regina (Principal), McClanahan, Christopher Terance (Co-Principal). Explore Clinical Judgment Affecting Safe Medication Administration and Patient Safety, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $12662. (Submitted: October 2023, Funded: January 2024 - May 2025). Grant.
  • Hughes, Monica Jamison (Principal), McClanahan, Christopher Terance (Co-Principal), Erbin-Roesemann, Marla A (Co-Principal), Moon, KeriAnne Mauch, Clary, Kelly Lynn. Simulation Learning of Public Health Nursing Core Competencies Through Narrative Gaming, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal, $500000. (Submitted: May 28, 2020, Funded: September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2024). Grant.
  • Jillapalli, Regina (Principal), McClanahan, Christopher (Co-Principal), Johnson, Alisha H (Co-Principal). Nursing Innovation Grant Program: Supporting Clinical Learning Experiences to Mitigate Impediments due to COVID-19, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, State, $120000. (Submitted: September 2020, Funded: November 2020 - November 2022). Grant.
  • Smith, Kathy (Co-Principal), Erbin-Roesemann, Marla (Principal), McClanahan, Chris (Co-Principal), Jillapalli, Regina (Co-Principal). GEER II-Nursing Innovation Grant Program, THECB, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), $365000. (Submitted: November 2022, Funded: February 2023 - July 2023). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Member
Society for Simulation in Healthcare Directors of Simulation Special Interest Group
January 27, 2021-Present
Chair
Society for Simulation in Healthcare Directors of Simulation Special Interest Group
January 27, 2019-January 2021
Volunteer
2022-Present
Member
General Education Council
September 12, 2022-Present
Chair
Undergraduate Council
March 2022-Present