The choice to begin online testing was not undertaken lightly by the AACC Nursing Faculty. Exam Master and the Academic Manager® were selected as the Anne Arundel Community College online software for several key reasons: the ability to customized Course Content and Program Outcome outlines to match our curriculum, program outcomes, nursing process, and NCLEX categories provide the nursing faculty with the ability to monitor and track key curricular and program mastery indicators throughout the learner’s progression through the nursing program. This data will then be used during our rigorous learner advising to aid in focusing student learning and faculty efforts in teaching and remediation for course students and program advisees. Additionally, data obtained from the Academic Manager Reports and Analytics features will provide documentation for continuous quality improvement within the nursing department as well data concerning program outcome attainment and accomplishments that can be shared with our college community, external agencies and clinical partners, and accrediting bodies.

During the fall 2014 semester, the other 6 courses in the Nursing Department implemented online testing using Exam Master software for all their exams. The faculty also began using the study feature for exam review. While not exactly a seamless process for us as we implemented these new strategies for such a large number of students and new faculty users, the Exam Master team provided excellent back up and support for all issues that arose and by the middle of the current semester (Spring 2015) the faculty have begun seeing multiple benefits from using Exam Master for online testing.

We look forward to the next challenge in our process-making better use of the meta-data that is now available to us by using this system, how to best incorporate and utilize new test question formats and in the synchronization of a unified testing approach across the department.”

In addition to being an author for Exam Master, Dr. Holt writes an ongoing series of literature-based updates for Clinical Anesthesia (Lippincott Williams & Williams). She is also a Section Editor for the online medical reference “UpToDate” (Wolters Kluwer); has contributed several book chapters to publications including Essence of Anesthesia Practice (2011, Saunders, Elsevier), Stoelting’s Anesthesia & Co-existing Disease (2012, Saunders, Elsevier), Comprehensive Guide to Education in Anesthesia (2014, Springer), and The Role of Anesthesiology in Global Health (2015, Springer). In addition to her editorial roles, Dr. Holt is on the Core Examination Committee for the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

In her free time, Dr. Holt enjoys running, music, theatre, cooking, and most outdoor activities. Spending time with family and friends, especially her parents, sister, and two nieces, is very important to her. This picture was taken on a kayaking outing on the Long Island Sound with a friend. The ongoing support of Dr. Holt’s family and friends has been invaluable in her achieving her career goals.

Dr. Natalie Holt earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University, where she majored in History & Science with a focus on the History of Medicine. She then went to medical school at Yale School of Medicine and completed a Master of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She became Board-certified in both General Preventive Medicine and Anesthesiology; currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale School of Medicine, as well as the Medical Director of the Ambulatory Procedures Unit at the West Haven Veterans Affairs Hospital.

Becoming a doctor fulfilled a lifelong personal dream for Dr. Natalie Holt. She never imagined doing anything else. In the course of her career, she has received a few letters from patients thanking her for contributing to their care.

“When you are frustrated by other things that are happening at work – and we all get frustrated sometimes – remembering those letters is very helpful. They are very meaningful to me.”