Susan Instone, Professor in Nursing, is the Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice - Advanced Practice Nursing Program at the University of San Diego. She completed her MSN degree (1989) and Doctor of Nursing Science degree (1996) at the University of San Diego. She is a certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner by the Pediatric National Certification Board and currently practices part-time in pediatric primary care. Dr. Instone teaches in the DNP program. Her research interests include decision-making among children and parents with life threatening illness such as HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C and the use of standardized patients to improve clinical competencies among advanced practice nursing students.