...I reapplied to MSU and in 1985 started back into nursing where I left off.  I had a close and transformative relationship with a man who was a rolfer and acupuncturist while finishing my nursing degree. My interest in alternative health care was nurtured and I’ve maintained that interest through the years. I completed my BSN in 1987 and graduated with several honors including Sigma Theta Tau. I then moved to California, and began my nursing career on a medical-surgical unit. Over time I moved to telemetry, then critical care step down, and finally to critical care. I worked at University of California, San Francisco in specialized critical care units for my last four years in nursing.

Although I enjoyed the challenge of “high tech” critical care, I still valued “high touch” and basic health care. I remained fascinated by health behaviors that foster a healthy life, and I wanted a role where my personal presence was important, rather than a slot to fill for the shift. So I began the Family Nurse Practitioner program in 1997 at Sonoma State University. As part of the program, I conducted a qualitative research project, “Factors Affecting Adherence to a Healthy Lifestyle,” which was near and dear to my heart. Surprising me, the results of the study ex post facto dovetailed with Nola Pender’s Model of health promotion theory. This increased my interest and respect in nursing theory, which initially was nil.

After finishing my MSN, I was through with California costs and traffic. So I moved to Oregon, and began my nurse practitioner career in a lower income clinic. It was quite an unusual clinic in that it was sustained by the community and private grants. They did apply and become a federally funded clinic in the last months before I left. It was empowering to work in Oregon because NP’s are independent with no physician oversight. We had access to a free OHSU specialty consult line of which I made frequent use and greatly appreciated. I left Oregon because I wanted to work somewhere that I could swim in the ocean on my days off. While I was searching for this place, I returned to Montana and worked in a rural clinic and Planned Parenthood, and helped my mother retire. After some soul searching, I realized I wanted to teach NP students. I came to Galveston to get information on their nursing Ph.D. program, but while here, interviewed for a geriatric home health position that involved teaching residents, and decided to accept that instead. After three years I was concerned about losing my skills, so I took a position at UTMB’s ER in the fast track. I met my husband there, and very uncharacteristically married him after 5 weeks of dating. Now five years later, we’re still happily married. 

I left UTMB ER because I didn’t want to do medical screening. I think it’s necessary to screen out patients, as ER’s have become so overrun with nonemergent visits, but I didn’t want to be the one doing the screening. I worked at an urgent care in Lake Jackson for three years after that, but needed more challenge, and still wanted to teach. I applied to UTMB for a teaching position in the NP program, but Ike hit so my interview was cancelled. A teaching position in the BSN program opened up in late 2009, and so I finally began teaching after 23 years of nursing. Teaching in the BSN program has been quite a challenge and steep growth curve that I’m still climbing after starting this January. I’m currently deciding between pursuing a DNP or PhD program, and mustering the energy to do it.

I spend what little time I have outside of work at home with my adorable Welsh Corgi Gizmo, 3 cats, and husband.