Buckeye Inspiration: Jackie Buck

A look back at 40 years of nursing with Jacalyn “Jackie” Buck, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL, clinical professor and executive director of academic partnerships 

by Melissa L. Weber

When three-time Ohio State alumna Jacalyn “Jackie” Buck, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL, (’80, ’92 MS, ’00 PhD) was preparing to graduate from high school in 1975, her guidance counselor recommended just three career paths: secretary, teacher or nurse. 

She definitely made a wise choice when she selected nursing. “I liked people, and I liked science,” she said. While she assumed her career would be focused on bedside nursing care, changes were ahead in the profession. 

“Today, you can make a nursing career exactly what you want it to be,” she said. “There are so many specialty areas, from women’s health to pediatrics, from surgery to nursing quality, from consulting to owning your own company. There are so many opportunities in nursing.” 

Buck started college at Michigan State University. Her marriage to Steve Buck and subsequent move to Columbus resulted in a transfer to The Ohio State University. 

“It was an amazing education,” she said. “I loved it!”

Buck started as a staff nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at what is now known as The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center University Hospital. Early on, she knew she wanted to attend graduate school. She wasn’t certain what opportunities were ahead, but she knew she wanted more education. As she completed her master’s degree in the early 1990s, a new opportunity became available. She became a faculty member in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the Mt. Carmel College of Nursing.

“That position laid the foundation for my future,” she said. Over her 10 years at Mt. Carmel, Buck worked with about 1,000 students. She had the opportunity to develop curriculum and create new programs. During this time, she also completed a PhD at Ohio State with a focus in pediatric nursing. 

She found her next opportunity at Ohio State University Hospital, where she worked as the director of the General Clinical Research Unit. The nursing team worked with principal investigators to provide support for the clinical research protocols.

“We had an amazing group,” she said, but her “roots were calling,” and she moved from research to director of nursing for the Department of Women and Infants at Ohio State. She oversaw nursing practice in labor and delivery, the antepartum and postpartum units, the NICU and the perinatal education program from 2004 to 2011. One of her favorite projects was implementing the transition to family-centered maternity care, in which moms and babies stayed together after birth and moved to the postpartum unit together. 

“We all have a responsibility to mentor and empower the next generation.”
– Jackie Buck

“It was the beginning of evidence-based practice,” Buck said. “Remember, there were no online literature searches available then, so we conducted a manual literature search to identify the best practices. We had a fantastic team driving this change. Our nurse managers and nurses were empowered and advocated for our patients.” 

Buck continued to rise in the nursing administrative ranks of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, eventually serving as health system chief nursing officer until her retirement in 2022. 

She admits one career failure: “I failed at retirement,” Buck said with a laugh. Instead of relaxing and remembering her successes, she came back to the College of Nursing when former Dean Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, asked her to be director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice nurse executive track. 

“I relished the opportunity to work with students again,” Buck said. Buck still teaches in the DNP program and now also serves the college as executive director for academic partnerships, building strong relationships with healthcare systems. 

“The future for nurses is bright,” Buck said. “There are opportunities to innovate, create and develop new models of care. We can empower ourselves and continue to advocate for patients as we always have and support wellness for ourselves and each other. We can lead the integration of changing technology for more efficiency.” 

Throughout Buck’s career, she has focused on team building to get the work done. “Focus on respect, trust, building relationships, emotional intelligence, communication and psychological safety among your team,” she said. “And mentoring. We all have a responsibility to mentor and empower the next generation. We need to inspire them to continue to elevate and advance the profession.”