Biography
Dr. Tiffany Nielsen has been a registered nurse for over 16 years and a nurse practitioner for over 10 years, primarily serving patients in the emergency department (ED) with both urgent and life-threatening conditions. She served in specialty and leadership nursing roles including triage, trauma, sepsis, disposition, and process improvement. Nielsen attended UC Irvine and graduated from the master’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program in 2013. Upon graduation, she participated in a six-month emergency medicine training and mentorship program, where she developed the necessary skills to care for acutely ill ED patients. She later went on to obtain her Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) national board certification. As part of her doctoral studies at Brandman University in 2017, she utilized a real-time model to measure ED overcrowding and developed an ambulance diversion protocol. Nielsen joined UCI in 2016 and teaches in the DNP program. She served as the simulation coordinator from 2018-2019, advancing best practices in nursing simulation education. She continues to engage in simulation education with the US Navy, training Forward Surgical Teams to stabilize and resuscitate patients suffering from traumatic injuries. She is part of the Faculty Practice in the School and practices clinically on campus at the Student Health Center. She also maintains her ED NP practice at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.
Research Interests
Emergency Medicine, Student/Young Adult Health, Emergency Department Overcrowding, Ambulance Diversion, Emergency Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Education, Nutrition, Healthcare Simulation, Nursing Simulation, Interprofessional Education, Interprofessional Practice, Nursing Expert Witness
Education
DNP, Nursing, Brandman University, 2017
MS, Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, University of California, Irvine, 2013
BSN, Nursing, California State University, Long Beach, 2007
Honors and Awards
- 2021 UCI School of Nursing Dean’s Honoree for Teaching Excellence Award
- 2019 AACN Novice Faculty Excellence in Didactic Teaching Award
- 2019 AACN Apple Digital Innovation Boot Camp, Selected Attendee
- 2018 UCI Graduate Nursing Faculty of the Year
- 2018 UCI Alumni Association Lauds & Laurels Award, School of Nursing
