A Career In Healthcare

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Looking back on my 31 year career in healthcare I have consistently returned to family health care as the area where I feel I am best suited and can most effectively address the needs of my patient. In 1987, I began my career in healthcare as an active duty Army combat medic. During the tough and strenuous times of basic training the Drill Sergeants would shout “Don’t thank me thank your recruiter!” Little did I know at the time, that those words would be the beginning of the journey for my long and wonderful career in healthcare. A career that even on the worst of days, has never felt like a job.
From this foundation in Army medicine, I was able to build not only my experience, but to develop the leadership and dedication required to further
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During my encounters with patients while providing diabetes education, a common thread repeatedly immerged, patients discussed other facets of their health that were intertwined with their diabetes. As a result the desire to reach beyond the boundaries of one illness, one health concern, one defining health need began to emerge in my thoughts. How could I best serve my patients, where could I apply my experience and expand my abilities to care for my patients. To that end I returned to college to further my education in nursing. I began the bridge program at Capella University in 2015 to obtain a Masters in Nursing with Diabetes specialty and I am slated to graduate in March 2018. During my time at Capella, I still sought out how to expand my education and knowledge beyond diabetes to encompass the whole patient and their needs. Midway through my time at Capella I decided that seeking my Family Nurse Practitioner would provide a melding of the two areas of nursing, family health and diabetes, both areas have long held my interest, heart and passion as a medic and later as a