By Davis Seal

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For nearly 20 years, Bethany Rhoten has been immersed in healthcare systems across Middle Tennessee before taking the helm over the summer as director of the Middle Tennessee State University School of Nursing in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.

She succeeds Jenny Sauls, who had led the school since 2013 and has returned to a faculty position.

“I’m delighted to join MTSU School of Nursing’s already thriving faculty,” said Rhoten, who assumed her role on Aug. 1.

Rhoten spent 11 years on the faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, most recently as professor of nursing.

Before her tenure at Vanderbilt, she attended the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, where she earned an undergraduate degree in biology in 2009. She later graduated from Vanderbilt with a master’s in acute care nursing before earning her doctorate there in 2013.

But her research began at the bedside. Working as an intensive care nurse at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, she watched patients who were treated for head and neck cancer struggle with how illness changed their bodies and their sense of themselves, and she built a decade of scholarship around it.

Career trajectory ‘one of the best decisions’

“The biggest part of my research I’d enjoyed was the psychosocial aspect of cancer survivorship, and survivorship of acute and chronic illness generally, and what that does to someone’s mental health and relationships,” Rhoten said.

That interest pulled her toward mental health practice. She completed a post-master’s certificate as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2023 and opened Andrews Grace Behavioral Health in Nashville the same year.

“Becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner has been one of the best decisions I’ve made,” Rhoten said.

Ask her what nursing students most need to hear and she does not start with clinical skills.

“That education piece and helping patients advocate for their own health over their lifespan is the most important work of a nurse, whether inpatient, outpatient, or community health,” Rhoten said.

She wants prospective students to see the degree the same way.

“It’s important to highlight that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing can take you anywhere. It’s not just one career path,” Rhoten said.

She also wants applicants to hear from current students and alumni, not only from faculty and administrators, about what clinical rotations are like and what the degree has opened up after graduation.

She describes the job largely in terms of connection, a skill she sharpened as president of the Junior League of Nashville.

“I think being a connector is one of the most important parts of the director role, beyond supporting the school, students and faculty,” Rhoten said.

Now she is bringing that expertise to MTSU.

“Dr. Rhoten brings an exceptional blend of clinical expertise, research insight and a deep commitment to student success,” said Peter Grandjean, dean of the MTSU College of Behavioral and Health Sciences. “At a time when Tennessee faces a critical nursing shortage, her leadership will strengthen our ability to prepare highly skilled, compassionate nurses who are ready to meet the evolving needs of our communities.”

What she inherits is a program already producing some of the state’s best and brightest in nursing.

About the School of Nursing

Rhoten arrives at a school whose graduates fill a gap the state cannot afford to leave open. The Tennessee Hospital Association projects a shortfall of more than 8,500 registered nurses by 2035, driven largely by population growth among residents over 75.

Since 1966, MTSU School of Nursing has educated thousands of nurses and holds full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Students complete more than 500 clinical hours at over 200 healthcare facilities statewide, and the school’s first-time National Council Licensure Examination pass rate has stayed above 95%.

MTSU’s School of Nursing sends most of its graduates into hospitals across Middle Tennessee.

Roughly 80% of graduates go to work for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ascension Saint Thomas and HCA Healthcare facilities.

Rhoten sees the school’s reach extending past its own enrollment.

“I think it’s important for us as a school to serve a public good too, not just for our students but the community in general,” Rhoten said.

The School of Nursing offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing with Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentrations, and a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner graduate certificate.

Learn more at nursing.mtsu.edu.

— Davis Seal ([email protected])