Brooks Named One of 2025’s Great 100 Nurses of Arkansas
Dr. Shelia Brooks, clinical assistant professor of nursing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been selected as one of the 100 Great Nurses of Arkansas of 2025.
Brooks will be honored during an awards ceremony on Sept. 23 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Little Rock. The Great 100 Nurses Award recognizes nurses who exemplify humanitarian values, contribute significantly to the profession, and serve as mentors to others.
“I’m surprised but feel honored to receive the recognition,” Brooks said. “I didn’t expect it. I do what I do not for accolades, but simply because of my love for people.”
Brooks, who teaches Foundations of Nursing and Community Health and Wellness courses at UA Little Rock while overseeing clinical rotations at multiple hospitals, joined the faculty in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the classroom and clinical setting, she focuses on equipping students with both technical and patient-centered care skills.
“It is imperative that each new nursing student learn the importance of providing compassion, dignity, and respect alongside bedside nursing,” she said. “I call it, ‘getting back to the basics.’ Our patient’s health and concerns matter. They need to see and feel heard.”
A native of North Little Rock, Brooks began her nursing career as a nursing assistant after graduating high school in 1988. She earned her associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from UA Little Rock, followed by a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Grand Canyon University. Over the years, she has held leadership and clinical roles at UAMS, the former Doctors Hospital, and Chenal Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, and I’ve always wanted to help people,” Brooks said. “Nursing allows me to do both. It’s about being available when someone is at their most challenging and vulnerable moments to remind them that they are not alone. I’ve always enjoyed helping and serving people. I got that trait from my mother.”
Brooks is actively involved in professional and service-oriented organizations, including Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., a board member at Home for Healing, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and a chaplain for The Little Rock Chapter of The Links, Inc. She and her husband, Anthony, have been married for 33 years and have two adult sons, Asa and Alex.
When asked what advice she gives her students, Brooks emphasized the importance of patient-centered care.
“Listen and look at your patient; gently touch your patient,” she said. “Treat them like your most prized loved one. Patients are real people with real problems who are depending on us in their most vulnerable moments. We are their advocates.”
Brooks said she continues to find joy in teaching the clinical side of nursing, especially when she sees her students find their “why” moment and purpose.
“I enjoy seeing when the ‘aha’ moment kicks in,” Brooks said. “It’s pure joy and excitement to see nursing students realize the reason as to why they’re really here and who they’re becoming. We need competent, passionate, and committed healthcare leaders to serve in our community.”