New Nursing Scholarship Honors Graduate Who Died at 43

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Tonya Terry

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Bill Smith of Springdale wanted to honor the memory of his wife while also helping further the education of nurses who are working in critical-care settings.

To do so, he has created a University of Arkansas scholarship honoring Tonya Terry, who died last year of liver disease at 43. It is the first endowed scholarship established for the graduate program in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing.

Smith said his wife wanted to teach others lessons she learned from her experiences as a nurse and help other nurses understand that compassion and empathy are two of their best tools.

“Tonya was a special, in some ways unique, individual, and I wanted her spirit to live on in a way that actively promotes two of the things most important to her, education and selflessly trying to make a difference in the lives of others,” Smith said.

The Tonya Joan Terry, RN Endowed Master of Science in Nursing Scholarship will be awarded to one graduate student enrolled in the clinical nurse specialist program of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing during the final two semesters when the recipient is completing the clinical rotation requirements of the program. The scholarship recipient must have a minimum of two years of experience working in the nursing profession. Preference will be given to an individual with critical care experience who is an Arkansas resident and intends to practice in Arkansas following completion of the M.S.N. program.

 “I want the scholarship recipients to know who Tonya was,” Smith said. “Tonya’s empathy for other people is what made her an extremely good nurse. The way she communicated with patients allowed her to break through institutional protocols. Her patients loved her; the doctors she worked for loved her; administrators didn’t love her. Her attitude was to look at outcomes. She gravitated toward mavericks. Results were what mattered to Tonya.”

Al Gordon was one of the doctors who knew Terry well when she worked at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville.

“Tonya was a quality nurse with a golden heart and infectious sense of humor,” Gordon said. “I had peace of mind when I knew Tonya was caring for my ICU patient.”

Kathleen Barta, associate professor of nursing, taught Terry when she earned her associate’s degree in 1991.

“I really valued her emphasis on patient-centered care,” Barta said about Terry’s work as a nurse. “Advocacy on behalf of the patient is not always the easiest path for nurses, but she understood how important it is for us to take on that role. The patient and the family are at the center of the health-care system with the nurse as their guardian. We are with patients 24/7/365.”

The knowledge of nurses goes beyond medical knowledge, Barta explained.

“Tonya helped more patients than those she was the personal advocate for because she was a role model to all the nurses working with her,” she said. “In today’s health-care system, nurses are being asked to step up to be leaders. They know how the system works best to attract good people and ensure the best outcomes. Tonya knew all of that, too.”

The scholarship support is very important to the nursing program, Barta said. For practical purposes, the last year of the master’s program is the most difficult financially because of the clinical hours required of the students.

Students may apply for the scholarship when the application period for the College of Education and Health Professions opens in January. The application is available online through the month of January.