2023 Outstanding Methodist School of Nursing Alumna Award Winner
Dr. Paula Dycus earned her nursing diploma from the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in 1977 and worked as a nurse for 20 years in roles of progressive responsibility before earning her BSN from the University of Memphis in 1997.
She earned her MSN from Union University in 2001 and her DNP from the UTHSC College of Nursing in 2007, both with concentrations in Nursing Administration. Dr. Dycus is currently the system director of Professional Nursing and Magnet Program for the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Corporation. She is also a Magnet® Program Appraiser.
The theme of her career has been quality improvement and maintaining standards of nursing excellence. She has served as standards and practice coordinator for Patient Care Services at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and as administrative director of Professional Practice & Research at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. While at Le Bonheur, Dr. Dycus served as Magnet® Program Director, completing and submitting all documents for the initial Magnet designation in 2015. She has been instrumental in leading teams to implement professional governance within the Methodist Le Bonheur system and in achieving initial Magnet designation at both Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and Methodist North Hospital. She has held her current role with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare since 2017.
Her professional development activities include poster and podium presentations at the annual Magnet Conference, Sigma Theta Tau International, National Association of Healthcare Quality, and QSEN. She has published several manuscripts for her work with quality improvement and research. Her passion is in creating a healthy work environment for nurses to practice using the Magnet framework and in mentoring nurses in professional development activities.
In addition to nursing leadership, Dr. Dycus has served as adjunct faculty for the UTHSC College of Nursing and for the Union University Germantown campus. She received the Daisy Champion Award in 2013, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Memphis Loewenberg school of Nursing in 2010, and the UTHSC Alumna Award in 2007.
