Janiece Binns and Katherine Wampole, new assistant professors in the Division of Nursing, have very different backgrounds, but they share a similar passion for teaching nursing.

Janiece Binns

As a Greenville resident, former BJA student, and 2010 BJU graduate, Janiece Binns is more than familiar with BJU. Binns, now an assistant professor in the Division of Nursing, completed her master’s in July and now teaches clinicals, lectures and labs.

Binns was a practicing nurse for three years before coming to work at the University in 2013.  She worked on her master’s degree while teaching clinicals as well as working on call at an area hospital in the adult medical and surgical departments as well as in pediatrics.

“It’s challenging, but I get to learn a lot, and I feel like it helps me be a better teacher,” Binns said.

Having a grandmother and two aunts who were nurses didn’t influence Binns’ decision to be a nurse. She excelled in English in high school and loved the idea of pursuing English education.

She took an interest in science during her senior year and completed an advanced biology class.

“All of my friends called me a nerd,” Binns said.

The increased interest and knowledge drawn from the AP biology class prompted her to declare nursing as her major.

Her freshman year at BJU marked a turning point for Binns after her grandmother was admitted to the hospital for a repeated open-heart surgery.

“I spent a lot of time in the hospital and noticed the differences between [the nurses] and how they interacted with my grandmother as a patient,” Binns said.

“There was one nurse in particular who really went out of her way to help my grandmother and us as a family—she was a Bob Jones grad. I saw the differences a good nurse can make and realized nursing is a calling. It has to be what the Lord wants you to do.”

Aside from her career, Binns uses nursing as her mission field, collaborating with Medical Missions Outreach.

She served in Peru this past July, plans to go to Honduras in January, and hopes to travel to Kenya next summer.

“It’s really interesting to see how God can use nursing as a tool to spread the Gospel,” Binns said.

Although her original plans changed a few times, Binns said nothing was in vain—God always has a purpose and a plan.

“I kind of get the best of both worlds—I have the best job in the world,” Binns said.

Katherine Wampole

Katherine Wampole, assistant professor in the Division of Nursing, teaches clinicals, lectures and labs.

Before a five-year nursing career of labor and delivery in Spartanburg, Wampole obtained multiple degrees in business.

“I was a business major, so I have an undergrad in business admin from Lander University,” Wampole said. She also has training in banking and finance from Furman and USC.

But when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Wampole’s focus began to change.

“I kept praying for the right thing to do. When she got breast cancer, I went back to school and got my nursing degree at USC Upstate and got my master’s at Charleston Southern,” Wampole said.

Wampole learned about the opportunity to teach at BJU while working labor and delivery at Spartanburg Regional. She intends to continue to work as a nurse in addition to teaching.

Due to her business background, Wampole assists her students in transitioning to the workforce and saving money when possible.

“I think you can mesh the two, and I’m hoping to be able to mesh more of my business into nursing,” Wampole said.

Wampole recognizes the sovereign hand of God in her life and takes joy in sharing her testimony with her students.

She sympathizes with her students’ feelings of uncertainty, but has learned to trust God while pursuing different career paths.

“I was able to relate my personal story with the students, and I want them to be able to relate that to their patients and their families. That’s something I probably wouldn’t be able to do if I [were] in the business world,” Wampole said.