Degrees and Certifications
DNAP, Middle Tennessee School of AnesthesiaMS, in nurse anesthesia, Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia
BSN, Western Kentucky University
ADN, Western Kentucky University
CRNA, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
APRN, Alabama and Tennessee Board of Nursing
BLS, ACLS, PALS, American Heart Association
CITI, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative
QM Peer Reviewer-Higher Education, Quality Matters
COI, QM online certification
Awards and Honors
- Sigma Theta Tau, Kappa Theta and Gamma Eta Chapters
- Charles Roy Martin Scholarship, Western Kentucky University
- Received full QM certification for course designed and developed for Samford University Nurse Anesthesia Program - 2019
Involvement/Professional Societies
- American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
- Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists
- Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists
- National League for Nursing
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing
- Kappa Delta Sorority
Recent Presentations
- AACN-2020 Doctoral Education Conference: Podium presentation: Middle-Range Theory Uniting Practice and Scholarship
- AANA-2019 Assembly of Didactic and Clinical Educators Conference-poster presentation
- Samford University Faculty Success Collaborative-QM Certification Process
- TANA-Guest Speaker -Factors Associated with Post-Dural Puncture Headaches in Obstetric Patients
Research Areas
- Post-Dural Puncture Headaches in the Obstetric Population
- Dexmedetomidine use in neuraxial anesthesia for the obstetric population
- Quality Matters rubrics applied in online course design for nursing education
Biography
Ledbetter's nursing career began in 1984 when she graduated from Western Kentucky University and moved to Nashville to work in the ICU. This is where she was exposed to nurse anesthesia. She went on to gain employment with Anesthesia Medical Group in 1988 as a registered nurse and eventually as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Her primary practice area is obstetric anesthesia where she gets to see God’s miracle of creation on a daily basis.
Ledbetter returned to obtain her doctorate degree because of her love of learning. She was introduced to Ida Moffett School of Nursing when she had some of the nurse anesthesia students at her clinical practice site. She was impressed that they were so professional and prepared. However, It was not until her husband and son visited Samford on a college tour that she began to learn more about the university. From there, God took over. As she researched the university, she became more and more impressed. On one of her visits to Samford’s website, she saw an opening for an instructor in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia and applied. As they say, the rest is history.
Ledbetter's hope is to train up the next generation of anesthesia providers to be caring, compassionate, professionals who maintain a love of learning. She is married to Bill and has two sons Will and Wesley.
