MO Governor Appoints SLU Nurse Margaret Bultas to Missouri State Board of Nursing

ST. LOUIS — Governor Mike Parson recently appointed Margaret Bultas, Ph.D., to the Missouri State Board of Nursing. 

Members of the Missouri State Board of Nursing are tasked with protecting the public's health and safety through regulation of nursing education, licensure, and practice. 

Bultas is an associate professor at Saint Louis University's Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing with more than 25 years’ experience. She teaches a variety of courses in the undergraduate and pre-licensure programs. 

Bultas received her Ph.D. and MSN, pediatric nurse practitioner, from the University of Missouri - St. Louis. She received her bachelor's in nursing from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Bultas fostered positive developmental outcomes among high-risk children and their families. She specialized in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), related disabilities, pediatric growth, developmental delay, chronic illness, and parent perceptions and experiences.

“Dr. Bultas is an experienced nurse educator and professional leader with a strong commitment to ensuring the public's health and safety," said Danny Willis, DNS, dean of the Valentine School of Nursing. "We are honored to have her expertise at our fingertips. She will serve the public well as a newly appointed member of the Missouri State Board of Nursing." 

ASD is a developmental disorder that presents with atypical language and social behavior. As the number of children with ASD rose, along with the potential for challenging behaviors during health care encounters, Bultas was among health care practitioners studying the science for diagnosis and best practices to provide family-centered care for this growing population.

In the last few years, Bultas has focused more on teaching and helping students succeed in the classroom. Her work includes using mindfulness to reduce test anxiety, integration of a therapy dog into the classroom to reduce stress and anxiety for nursing students, and trying to understand more about test taking behaviors that may affect test outcomes. 

SLU is a national leader in nursing education. In 2023, Niche ranked the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing as the #21 best college in the country for nursing. 

Bultas is among nursing faculty at SLU recognized for their teaching expertise, nursing leadership, scholarly research, and student mentorship. She was recently the recipient of SLU’s James H. Korn Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award. In 2019, she received an Excellence in Nursing Award from St. Louis Magazine, joining several SLU colleagues who also have been recognized for their work in nursing education. For six out of the last seven years, a SLU faculty member has been named the top nursing educator in the region.

About Valentine School of Nursing

Founded in 1928, the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing at Saint Louis University has achieved a national reputation for its innovative and pioneering programs. Offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral nursing programs, its faculty members are nationally recognized for their teaching, research and clinical expertise.