Carrie Alajoki, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Dr. Carrie Alajoki is a clinical associate professor in the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She brings extensive experience in nursing education, academic leadership, and clinical practice to her faculty role. Throughout her academic career, she has taught across undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in classroom, online, simulation, and clinical settings, with a focus on helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to the care they provide in clinical practice.

Dr. Alajoki maintains an active clinical practice as a family nurse practitioner in rural primary care, which keeps her teaching grounded in the realities of caring for patients and families across the lifespan. She has a particular interest in rural healthcare, underserved populations, clinical reasoning, and preparing future nurse practitioners to provide accessible, evidence-based care within their communities.

Global health is also an important part of Dr. Alajoki’s teaching. She has developed and led international nursing experiences in the Philippines, providing students opportunities to learn within communities and healthcare systems different from their own. Cleft and craniofacial advocacy is another important part of her work as an educator. She brings real-world experiences with cleft care into the classroom and clinical learning environment, emphasizing not only cleft-specific care, but also the important role nurse practitioners can play as part of comprehensive, interdisciplinary care teams.

Across her teaching, clinical practice, and service, Dr. Alajoki is committed to creating engaging learning experiences that help nursing students develop confidence and the clinical judgment needed for practice.

• DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty — Nominee
  Multiple nominations
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 2016
  Inducted based on academic achievement during Doctor of Nursing Practice program
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 2012
  Inducted based on academic achievement during Master of Science in Nursing program

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners
• National League for Nursing
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

DNP, College of St. Scholastica
Major: Nursing Practice

MSN, Walden University
Major: Nursing Education

AD, Lake Superior College
Major: Nursing

Presentation: Alajoki, C., & Olson, K. (2024, December). Transforming academic nursing: Leading with creativity and courage. AACN Baccalaureate Nursing Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Presentation: Alajoki, C. (2019). Lesson your load, link your lessons using Google Drive. Academic Technology Institute, College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN.

Poster Presentation: Alajoki, C., & Dickey, S. (2016). Analysis of adding a faculty-led online meeting in a nursing course. SoTL Commons Conference 2016, Savannah, GA.

Presentation: Alajoki, C. (2015). Obstetric department. Just for Women: Health and Wellness Conference, Memorial Medical Center.

Presentation: Alajoki, C. (2015). Skin-to-skin benefits. Community Baby Shower, Memorial Medical Center.

Award: HRSA Rural Registered Nurses in Primary Care (RRNPC) Grant
Role: Co-Author
Sponsoring Organization: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Award Period: Four years