2015 Distinguished Alumni
Faith A. Fields significantly advanced the nursing profession through improved systems, communication and regulatory updates during her long and fulfilling nursing career. She received her undergraduate degree in 1975 and her graduate degree in 1988. Fields spent several years working in the areas of critical care, education, long-term care and nursing administration.
In 1988, she was appointed by then Governor Bill Clinton to serve as a member of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN). In 1991, she joined ASBN as director of Nursing Education and was responsible for the oversight of nursing education programs in Arkansas. Through this position, she was instrumental in the development of the advanced nursing practice act.
In 1996, Fields was selected by the ASBN to serve as executive director, responsible to the board for the administration and enforcement of the Arkansas Nursing Practice Act. Accomplishments during her leadership include adoption of a statewide education articulation plan (one of the earliest statewide plans in the nation), implementation of regional workshops for nurses focused on nursing practice and the application of regulatory guidelines and securing state funding for scholarships to prepare more nurses and nurse educators. This scholarship now bears her name as the Faith A. Fields Nursing Scholarship.
She collaborated with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office to create a disciplinary process for nurses. She increased state funding for scholarships to prepare more nurses and more nurse educators. Fields created ASBN Update, a bi-monthly statewide magazine focusing on nursing regulation.
Fields received numerous state and national awards including Arkansas Registered Nurses Association (ARNA) Nurse Administrator of the Year, National Association of Women Business Owners Pioneer Award, ARNA Distinguished Service Award and National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s highest award, the R. Louise McManus Award. She was inducted into the Arkansas Nurses’ Association Hall of Fame in 2010.
Fields retired from ASBN in 2010. She accepted a position with Conway Regional Medical Center to develop and coordinate the Nurse Residency Program. “Being recognized by the university from which I graduated is truly an honor of the highest degree. This award means so much to me because this university molded me and defined my life’s work. I would literally not be the person I am today had it not been for the University of Central Arkansas,” Fields said. Fields lives in Conway with her husband, Ronnie. She enjoys working out and attending performances at Reynolds Performance Hall. Her daughter, Amy, followed in her mother’s footsteps, becoming a UCA graduate and registered nurse. Sawyer and Solomon, her grandsons, are Fields’ pride and joy.
