Professor Steve Gura has been an instructor at SC4 for over six years, using his extensive experience to prepare students for a career in nursing.
Growing up, Steve moved around a lot. His family lived in Chicago and Vermont before moving to West Bloomfield, Michigan, when Steve was in high school. Steve’s interest in medicine developed during his freshman year of college after a close friend was diagnosed with Leukemia. In between classes, Steve would visit with his friend, which stirred him to enter to pursue a career in nursing.
After graduating from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Steve took a position at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac. He later transitioned to McLaren Port Huron Hospital, where he worked as the only male nurse on the pediatric floor for nineteen years.
Much of Steve’s career has been rooted in women’s and children’s health. He described his field by saying, “You’re not just taking care of the child, but the family. It isn’t just focusing on the medical care of the patient but caring for the entire family structure, and the sickness of a child disrupts that family structure. It is working with the family and teaching them how to take care of their baby. It’s also helping families understand the life changes that occur with maturation.”
Steve’s relationship with SC4 began when a college faculty member recognized his knack for helping visiting nursing students on his floor. Soon after this, Steve continued his studies while working at McLaren, earning his Master of Science in Nursing Education. Shortly after, Steve was hired as an adjunct professor at SC4. After two years of teaching, he was hired as a full-time faculty for the Practical Nursing Program in 2018 and was recently elected as the department chair for Health and Human Services.
“It’s the best job or career choice I’ve ever made in my life, and I mean that whole-heartedly. The creativity that is allowed as faculty and the exchange of ideas with other departments in your division and other departments at the college is amazing.”
Steve and his wife, Michele, have been married for twenty-six years and have two children, Ben and Sam. Ben is a recent high school graduate and will be attending SC4 in the Fall 2024 semester. In his free time, Steve enjoys hunting, reading, especially fantasy novels, and participating in wildlife rehabilitation of raptors. He takes great joy in helping prepare recovered birds to reenter the wild and currently has six screech owls that are ready for release.
For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff, at srutallie@sc4.edu
