"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV
Kelly Arraf, Ph.D. MN, BN, RN, CNEcl, CNE, joined East Texas Baptist University as an Assistant Professor of Nursing in 2023 after relocating from Calgary, Canada, where she was born and raised. She earned her Bachelor of Nursing degree in 2000 and her Master of Nursing degree in 2003, both from the University of Calgary. In 2025, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Nursing at Liberty University.
With over twenty years of experience as a critical care nurse in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and the operating room, Dr. Arraf began teaching and sharing her passion for nursing with student nurses in 2009. She is committed to lifelong learning and is certified by the National League for Nursing (CNE and CNEcl). Additionally, she holds certifications in medical simulation, post-operative care, peri-operative nursing, and faith-community nursing.
Dr. Arraf's research interests include preceptorship experiences, post-operative and palliative pain management, and ethical dilemmas associated with medical mission trips. After successfully passing the NCLEX to relocate to the U.S., she has also developed an interest in strategies for NCLEX success. Dr. Arraf believes that any student called to the profession can become a competent, safe, and successful registered nurse through hard work and faculty support.
Dr. Arraf's primary nursing passion is mission work, which began in 2013 with her first trip to Haiti, where she shared her nursing skills and desire to serve others. In 2025, she realized her dream of developing and teaching a course titled "Nursing as a Ministry," which led to the first group of ETBU Nursing as a Ministry students travelling to rural Guatemala to demonstrate nursing as a Christian ministry. Dr. Arraf finds her greatest joy in spending time with her four children, embarking on travel adventures, and engaging in various outdoor activities.