May 2, 2013

Paul Clements, PhD, Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Graduate Nursing Advanced Role M.S.N. Department, was quoted as the expert voice in an NBC10 article, “Why Hit-and-Run Drivers Flee: The psychology behind the choice to leave.” Clements is a forensic and psychiatric clinical specialist, Certified Gang Specialist, and a Distinguished Fellow of the International Association of Forensic Nurses. He also serves as the Coordinator of the Contemporary Trends in Forensic Healthcare Certificate Program at the College.

Clements said that most hit-and-run drivers are people who blame others for their behaviors. He believes that hit-and-run drivers suffer from a lack of good moral judgment that should have been instilled when they were younger, adding that hit-and-run drivers often downplay the severity of the situation to rationalize leaving. “A lot of the people who are doing these kinds of things have some sort of personality issues,” he said.

Clements’ teaching career began in 1993 and he embarked on his first foray into the online education format in 2000 at the University of New Mexico. After commuting 75 long miles back and forth each way to his teaching job, he transitioned to teaching nursing honors students from a distance. At the time, Clements carried a pager in case his colleagues at the University needed him to come in to the office. One of the first thoughts that he had as a distance learning professor was, “This online stuff is a lot of work!”

Now a faculty member in the College of Nursing and Health Professions’ online nursing programs, Clements has recognized the online format as “a clear preference” due to its flexibility. “It’s more constructivist than face-to-face because it forces students to delve deeper into the materials on their own,” he said. “It forces all of us to examine our ability to communicate with each other.”