Dr. Rhigel Jay Alforque Tan is an Associate Professor at the UNLV School of Nursing. He is a certified Advanced Nurse Practitioner in three fields of specializations: as an Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP), Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (GNP), and Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). Dr. Tan was previously a tenured Professor of Nursing at the College of Southern Nevada. He developed the Nurse Apprentice Program of Nathan Adelson Hospice through a grant from MGM-Mirage Foundation and was invited to present the program at a National Hospice Leadership Convention in Washington, D.C.

Expertise

Dr. Tan’s extensive expertise includes clinical training in medical-surgical, mental health, emergency room, intensive care, and palliative nursing.

Classes Taught

Dr. Tan is currently teaching Nursing Care for Adult Medical Surgical Patient, Care of Individuals and Their Family Experiencing Emotional and Mental Health Disruptions, Advance Health Assessment - Graduate Studies, and Clinical Synthesis for Advanced Practice.

Education Background

Dr. Tan obtained a terminal degree as Doctor in Nursing Practice with evidence-based practice research focused on Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) and the use of human patient simulation and self-efficacy. Currently, he is enrolled in a doctoral program with research trajectory in Self-Efficacy, Emotional Quotient and Virtual Leadership.

Research or Scholarship

Dr. Tan is a global expert in depression and mental health treatment, his advocacy works to decrease the stigma of mental health care in the Philippines and Nevada. He initiated a novel multifaceted and system-based approach to culture change regarding mental health illness that resulted in legislative and policy change locally and nationally. His works led to the first mental health law of the Philippines known as “Mental Health Act of the Philippines” through Republic Act 11036, and also initiated the first City Ordinance in the Philippines in Cebu City related to Mental Health Care in Barangay.

Awards, recognitions, or group affiliations

Dr. Tan has served as one of the seven members of The Nevada State Board of Nursing from 2011-2019. He was a past President of Nevada State Board of Nursing serving and elected for three consecutive terms of the Board of Nursing from 2015-2019. Dr. Tan was the first Asian and First Filipino elected President for 3 terms of the Board in its 98 years of existence. In 2019, Dr. Tan was inducted as Fellow of the most prestigious and exclusive international American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Tan served in the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) as a national committee member of National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) where he oversaw the NCLEX examination as the final appellant of the examination in US and Canada. He was the NCLEX item review Chairman in 2017-2018 and was part of the formation of the New Generation NCLEX, the new examination for Nurses in US and Canada.

He was awarded as Outstanding Cebuano from the City Government of Cebu, Philippines for his health advocacy to destigmatize mental illness and increase awareness to mental health services. In Nevada, he was awarded as Health Care Hero of Southern Nevada in 2013 as an educator given by Nevada Business Magazine. Dr. Tan was also awarded nationally in the U.S. as Outstanding Filipino-American Teachers’ Award (Ulirang Guro Award) in New York and was a recipient of the highly selective peer reviewed “The Outstanding Filipino in America (TOFA)” in Health Care given in Carnegie Hall, New York in 2019.

He is actively involved in the Asian community of Las Vegas, especially among the Filipinos, where he co-founded the KALAHI Philippine Folkloric Ensemble, a cultural community-based organization aimed to unite Filipino-Americans in the Las Vegas area through preservation and promotion of the Filipino heritage through arts and culture. He has written and received funding in several grants from Nevada Arts Council on behalf of the Filipino community of Las Vegas for cultural and diversity promotion. He is also active in the Catholic Church organizing Filipino religious and spiritual events supported by the diocese of Las Vegas.

He is a board member and presently one of the advisors of the Philippine Nurses Association of Nevada and initiated the formation of an Evidenced Based Practice Committee of the association. Dr. Tan was also a member of the Clark County Emergency Corps, and the Zeta Kappa Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nurses.