Kylie Buist’s goal in her nursing leadership is to lead by example, being a light to others in practice and in her day -to-day life. You will often hear Professor Buist compare the field of nursing to working as the hands and feet of Christ. She specializes in trauma-informed care, the marginalization of vulnerable populations, sexual health, substance use disorder and health promotion within the community. 

Her courses have included Family Health Theory and Practicum, Population Health Theory and Practicum, Special Topics in Professional Nursing, and most recently Nursing Care Across the Lifespan I. She has been teaching at Hope College since 2018.

Professor Buist always wanted to be a nurse. She got her first job as a nurse’s assistant in a retirement home at the age of fifteen and has not left the field since. After earning her nursing degree at Hope, she began her career as a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She then transitioned into public health nursing at the Ottawa County Department of Public Health  where she worked as a public health nurse in the sexual health department. Professor Buist was also a nurse manager at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital in a unit specializing in traumatic brain injury.

Professor Buist is trained in forensics nursing as a sexual assault nurse examiner. She has practiced at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Ottawa County providing forensic medical exams for pediatric patients who have disclosed assault. Her graduate studies focused mainly on childhood trauma, sexual assault, domestic violence, and trauma-informed care. 

Areas of Expertise

• Public health nursing
• Disease prevention 
• Forensic nursing
• Trauma-informed care  
• Sexual health
• Childhood sexual abuse and adverse childhood experiences 
• Substance use disorder 
• Traumatic brain injury

Education

• M.S.N, nursing education and leadership, Grand Canyon University, 2020
• B.S.N, nursing, Hope College, 2013

Outside the College

Professor Buist loves spending time with her family. Together she, her husband, and their five children stay very busy. She loves boating, swimming and spending time on Lake Michigan in the summer; she firmly believes that the only redeeming quality that winter has to offer is the season of Christmas. You will find her setting up all of her Christmas decorations every year on November 1. Her family would oppose it, but it would be of no use. She has a particular affinity for nutcrackers and vintage Christmas ornaments. 

Professor Buist is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ, with an ambitious goal to “Make Heaven as Crowded as Possible.” Professor Buist loves to cook and finds that her kitchen is her “happy place” — her students find that they often benefit from this hobby. She is always working on an art project of some sort and loves to throw a themed party for any holiday she can think of. Professor Buist is a night owl, could live without activities that include nature, and loves to snuggle up on the couch watching whatever movie her children have decided upon.