Tami Wyatt grew up around nurses. She baby-sat for them. She had relatives that were them. She knew a lot about them. It made sense then that she was destined to become one of them.

Wyatt’s first experience in nursing came when she went straight into the neonatal intensive care unit in 1988.

From there, however, she realized that she wanted to teach.

After receiving her doctorate degree from the University of Virginia, Wyatt traveled west to UT to teach at the College of Nursing.

During the eight years she’s been at UT, she has earned plenty of awards to show for it. She is a 2012 Harvard Macy Health Education Professions Educator Scholar, Tennessee Nurses Association Nursing Teaching Excellence recipient, and recipient of many other awards.

But Wyatt has never received an award like the one she will receive on Sept. 21, when she will be inducted into the Academy of Nursing Education Fellows, part of the National League of Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education.

“This is just recognition for contributions to nursing education,” Wyatt said.

The award does not just recognize professors for doing their job, but instead for doing more than what was expected from them at their job.

“The key to receiving an award like this is that I must demonstrate ways that I’ve gone above and beyond my duties as a professor to expand nursing education,” Wyatt said.

“Not just how I meet my job responsibility, but what I’ve done above and beyond that.”

Wyatt’s education specialty is technology. She has a degree in instructional design, and she uses a lot of different technologies to try and enhance educational experiences.

Along with some others, Wyatt just recently built an application that is used for educational purposes and sold it to an international publishing company.

“I teach how to use it, I teach with it, I build it, and I research it,” she said.

But Wyatt’s colleagues don’t exclusively know her as a professor with high IQ, innovative technology and awards to back it up. Rather, she’s known as personable, patient and peaceful.

“Dr. Wyatt is a great listener and encourager,” Sandy Mixer, Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing, said. “She is a master at assisting others with problem solving and examining options. She helps people become the best they can be.”

Mixer said Wyatt’s door is always open for students and faculty to come in and talk about anything with her.

Sandra Mixer met Wyatt four years ago, and the impression Wyatt made on Mixer has been lasting.

“Dr. Wyatt lives by faith,” Mixer said. “Her principles, integrity, and character demonstrate this strong foundation.”

Mixer says that her devotion to excellence and her willingness to think beyond the here and now puts her ahead of those in her field.

“Everything Dr. Wyatt does demonstrates excellence — whether teaching, engaging in scholarship, or service,” Mixer said. “She is a visionary. She sees the world of education and educational technology and envisions what it can become, then she invests the creative energy and hard work to make it happen.”

But it’s the small things — the impromptu meetings with students, the time to mentor colleagues, and the desire to always learn — that make her who she is today.

“As she is teaching, she is learning and as she is learning, she is teaching,” Mixer said. “That is an example of a master educator.”

This is the NLN’s sixth class of fellows, but the first ever class to award a UT professor. When Wyatt first got news that she received this award, she was flooded with humility.

“For me, it’s always important to reflect how you received that type of recognition,” she said. “I always feel very humbled when things like this happen because what I know is no one can accomplish these type of goals without a great deal of support and encouragement from your fellow colleagues, from your university and from your administration. I’ve always received that.”

In some cases, people have to go through obstacles and climb mountains and cut down trees to get to their reward. In the case of Wyatt, her support is what enabled this achievement.

“I’ve never been told no,” she said. “I’ve never been told I couldn’t explore the things I wanted to do. I’ve always been fully supported. When I receive awards and recognitions, it really makes me feel quite humbled, and certain that I am at UT, where I am supposed to be.”