Faculty Spotlight | Mrs. Susan Rasmussen
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” This verse is the foundation for Mrs. Susan Rasmussen’s mission at Maranatha Baptist University. She states about this verse and her mission, “I want everything that I do in my role as a teacher to be ‘To the Praise of His Glory.’ In the School of Nursing, we emphasize bringing glory to God by using our abilities here and around the world.” Maranatha prides itself in its Godly and mission-oriented faculty, and these qualities are evident in Mrs. Rasmussen.
Rasmussen’s journey into the nursing world started when she was a young girl. At the age of 13, she had her appendix removed. This experience and being exposed to a hospital opened her eyes to the necessity and wonder of nursing. She remembers being impacted by the kind and meticulous care her nurses gave to her after her surgery piqued her interest in being a nurse herself.
In 1988, Rassmussen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and became a registered nurse soon after. Later, in 2016 she received a Master of Science in Nursing and Nursing Education.
When asked how she stepped into the field of teaching, she says, “I fell into teaching by accident.” She worked as a float nurse and was tasked with teaching the pre-and post-open heart surgery patients. At this time, she discovered her love for teaching, and her path to MBU began.
Transition to the Classroom
Before Rasmussen started at MBU, she worked as a coordinator for the educational department in a hospital in Kansas City, MO. But when she and her husband brought their daughter to MBU for her sophomore year pre-season of volleyball, she discovered that the School of Nursing was looking for new faculty. Rasmussen followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit and met with the director. After much prayer, counsel with her husband, and meeting with the nursing faculty at MBU, she “knew that the Lord wanted us to move to Wisconsin for me to begin teaching at Maranatha.”
Rasmussen teaches at Maranatha for the sole purpose of praising and glorifying God. She believes in this mission and incorporates it into her classroom. She claims, “My goal is to help students develop a biblical worldview of nursing as a foundation for ministry. The value of teaching at MBU is that I have the privilege of playing a small part in developing the next generation of nurses ‘To the Praise of His Glory.’”
Rasmussen is honored that God has brought her to Maranatha and given her the opportunity to teach nursing at a university with a God-honoring focus. Rasmussen loves the focus of Maranatha and finds great value in being a part of the focus. As someone who is invested and involved in the lives of her students, Rasmussen appreciates that the Nursing department “focus[es] on mentoring students in their walk with the Lord, as well as in their future occupation as nurses.”
Advice to Future Students
When asked how she would encourage future students, Rasmussen emphasizes having the right perspective. She desires prospective nursing students to come to Maranatha and benefit from the values the university instills in its students. She states, “I would encourage prospective students who are interested in nursing to shadow a nurse in the hospital for a day and ask lots of questions. Nursing is not like what is portrayed on television or in movies. Also, I would encourage them to work hard in their high school science and math courses.”
Rasmussen is a beneficial asset to the Nursing Department at Maranatha. She understands the value Maranatha works to instill in its students and says she is “humbled and blessed that God could use me to teach nursing.”
To learn from Susan Rasmussen, or any professor from the School of Nursing, enroll on campus.