OnlineFNPPrograms.com is committed to providing in-depth information to registered nurses who are interested in earning their MSN and pursuing a career as an APRN. To accomplish our goal, we have created an interview series featuring detailed interviews with nurse practitioners in fields such as Family Nursing, Pediatrics, Adult Gerontology Acute Care, and Psychiatric Mental Health. In this interview series, current and prospective MSN students can learn:
What a typical day on the job looks like for nurse practitioners across various fields
What challenges and rewards that APRNs face on the job
Advice for MSN students on preparing for a given specialization within advanced practice nursing during their program
Rebecca Lew is a family nurse practitioner at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the Women's Health Primary Care Department, where she provides primary care services, education, and advocacy to patients experiencing a wide range of chronic and acute health conditions.
Carmen Saunders is a corporate health nurse practitioner at Premise Health. She is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with 10 years of nursing experience spanning diverse settings including hospital and clinic settings in addition to her corporate nursing experiences.
Maria Crain is a pediatric primary care nurse practitioner at the Food Allergy Center at Children's Health in Dallas and Plano, Texas. At Children's Health, she cares for children suffering from a wide range of allergic disorders.
Ms. Hickman is a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP) at Southwest Behavioral & Health Services (SBH), where she provides psychiatric evaluations and medication management services to clients across the age spectrum who are severely mentally ill and have been historically underserved in the health care system.
Kristen Campbell is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at New York Methodist Hospital. As a PNP, Ms. Campbell provides medical evaluations and care to acute and subacute patients with ages ranging from newborns to 20 years old. She also engages in clinical education of nursing and medical students as a Clinical Faculty member at Columbia University.
Jen Wiles is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Minute Clinic, where she provides primary nursing care services to patients across the age spectrum. Prior to Minute Clinic, Ms. Wiles worked in perioperative inpatient settings, as well as in trauma and emergency care services.
Jenny Quinn is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Practice Manager at Northbay Healthcare, where she provides education, training, and leadership to medical staff within Northbay Healthcare's NICU, and also collaborates with her colleagues to optimize patient care policies and procedures.
Renee Reed is an Adult-Gerontologic Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) at Landmark Health, where she provides in-home primary care services to geriatric patients suffering from debilitating diseases. Prior to her role at Landmark Health, Ms. Reed provided primary care services to nursing home residents across three different nursing homes in the Portland, Oregon area.
Andrew Penn is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner III at The Permanente Medical Group California, where he supports patients through a combination of psychiatric evaluations, psychotherapy, and medication management and monitoring. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco's School of Nursing.
Janice Noort is a nurse practitioner at the University of California Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) in their Palliative Care Consult Service, where she provides clinical care, education, and advocacy to adult in-patient palliative care patients and their families.
Nancy Riffle is a Nurse Practitioner at Sacred Heart Schools, where she provides nursing and first aid services to students and staff. Previously, she worked as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner in private practice and at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Ginny Angert is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Associated Pediatricians and the Founder and Principal Consultant at EHR Optimize, a firm that specializes in IT solutions for healthcare institutions.
Dr. Mary Puchalski is a Clinical Assistant Professor and director of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) program at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing. She is also a practicing NNP in Rush University Medical Center's level IV NICU.
Katherine Ford is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Lakeway Regional Medical Center, where she administers, adjusts, and monitors anesthesia to patients across the age spectrum during surgery and other procedures.
Valerie Bell is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at the University of Miami Hospital, where she provides aneshesia services to a wide variety of patients. She is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Miami's School of Nursing and Health Studies.
Carol Darwin is an Emergency Medicine Nurse Practitioner at Harrison County Emergency Department, where she cares for patients suffering from moderate to severe injuries or illnesses that need immediate treatment.
John Kenna is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at the Medical University of South Carolina, and also worked as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the University of Rhode Island's College of Nursing.
Shanda Sandridge is a Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner within the Pediatric Gastroenterology Department at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she focuses on both Motility Disorders and Pediatric Obesity.
Kelly Ruemmele is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who provides pediatric primary care medical services to patients in two private practices and across several community health care settings. She is also an Adjunct Nursing Instructor at Texas Woman's University's College of Nursing.
Patricia Jamo is a pediatric primary care nurse practitioner at Acute Care Pediatrics, where she provides primary care services such as well visits, illness management, behavioral health management services, and immunizations to patients from infancy to 18 years of age.
Mary Thiel is an Adult Nurse Practitioner at Premier Health Partners, where she provides preventative care, disease management, prescriptions, and other primary care services to patients ages 14 and older.
Emily Weston is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Wentworth Health Partners, where she provides mental health assessments, medication management, and behavioral health care coordination services to patients.
Marla Conley is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at at Kosair Children's Hospital Neonatal Specialists, where she assesses the health and coordinates the care of premature and sick neonates.
Kimberly Zilske is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner who works in Pulmonary Critical Care at Memorial Hermann Health System, where she provides direct care to patients in the ICU, performs care coordination duties, and educates patients on managing their conditions.
Karina Berge is a Nurse Practitioner II in the Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgical Department at UC Davis Medical Center, where she provides acute medical care and case management services to pediatric patients suffering from heart disease.
Jennifer Horch Cromar is a Certified Nurse Midwife at Marin Community Clinics, where she provides primary and reproductive care to women, educates patients on gynecological health, and also cares for newborns.
Dr. Lisa Ring is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Children's National Health System, where she has served patients in the Divisions of Cardiovascular Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Pediatric Surgery within Burn/Trauma Services, and Emergency Medicine.
Derrick Love-Jones is an Adult-Geriatric Nurse Practitioner who is also the founder and CEO of Nephrology Rounding Solutions, a company that manages several primary care clinics and sends Nephrology Nurse Practitioners to medical facilities throughout the nation.
Dr. Dawn Clark is the Assistant Chief Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for Kaiser Permanente's Antioch Medical Center, where she provides anesthesia to patients and fulfills administrative duties such as coordinating improvements to policies and procedures.
Terri Jo Peterson is a neonatal nurse practitioner with over 35 years of experience caring for premature and critically ill neonates. Ms. Peterson coordinates the care of and provides direct medical care to newborn infants, works closely with patients' families, and instructs hospital staff on neonatal resuscitation.
Dr. Elizabeth Tomaszewski is the Track Director and an Assistant Clinical Professor for the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program at Drexel University. She also practices clinical work at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, where she sees patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Julie Stembridge, MSN, CNM is a certified nurse midwife at WakeMed Physician Practices, where she provides primary health care services and full-scope midwifery care to women of all ages. She also attends deliveries in the hospital setting and provides medical care to mothers before, during, and after labor.
Jennie Joyner is a Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at St. David's North Austin Medical Center's Pediatrix Medical Group, where she assesses the health of newborns and provides health care services to mildly ill infants. Prior to this role, she cared for critically ill pediatric patients in the PICU at Dell Children's Medical Center.
Charlie Myers is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at John Muir Behavioral Health Center. As a PMHNP, she completes psychiatric evaluations of incoming patients, manages their medications, and provides psychiatric consultations and discharge planning.
Loryn Ashton is women's health nurse practitioner at Southwest Obstetrics and Gynecology, where she provides primary and gynecological care services to adolescent girls and women across the lifespan. She also provides remote gynecological consultations to patients through the Maven mobile application.
Michelle Edwards is a Critical Care Nurse Practitioner for the Palo Alto VA Hospital, where she manages the health of veterans suffering from complex and/or critical illnesses. Prior to this role, Ms. Edwards worked as a Neurocritical Care Nurse Practitioner at Queen's Medical Center in Hawaii.
Amanda Ruch is an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner at National Spine and Pain Centers, where she delivers palliative and primary care services to patients struggling with acute and chronic pain.
Jodie Simms is a Certified Nurse Midwife at the Lisa Roth Birth & Women's Health Center, where she provides gynecological and obstetrical care such as women's health examinations, prenatal care, childbirth education, birth control consultations, and labor and delivery services to a diverse patient population.
Jessica Dean Murphy is a Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at MEDNAX. As a PACNP, Ms. Murphy provides full-scope care, including physical assessments, medication administration, and care coordination services to critically ill children suffering from a variety of acute conditions such as diabetes, cancer, traumatic injury, and asthma.
Alexandra Sherman is a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner at Alameda Health System, where she provides reproductive health examinations, screenings for breast and cervical cancers, family planning and contraception guidance, and patient education and support around reproductive health issues.
Sonya Jubb is a Certified Nurse Midwife at John Muir Medical Center, where she provides women's health care and full-scope midwifery care. Prior to her current role, she worked as a CNM at La Clinica De La Raza and El Rio Community Center, and engaged in international service and social welfare programs.
Alison Young is a certified Nurse Midwife at Santa Rosa Women's Health and Birth Center, where she provides women across the lifespan with gynecological care and full-scope midwifery care. Before her current position, she worked at Feather River Midwifery and The GW Medical Faculty Associates.