Diploma RN 1993, Virginia.
BSN 2004, Jacksonville University, Florida
MSN 2006, Family Nurse Practitioner, Hawaii Pacific University
PhD 2019, MUSC CON
Recipient of the Stewart Dissertation Award
I started my nursing career a bit later in life. I was a teen mother and was not able to finish my senior year of high school. However, I continued to work as a waitress, medical administrative assistant and legal assistant while attending college at night. I graduated as a diploma RN and worked in the ICU and ER. Ten years later I completed my BSN online and was accepted into the MSN program at Hawaii Pacific University and became a Family Nurse Practitioner. I worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner in family practice clinics at Tripler Army Medical Hospital, Hawaii, Heidelberg Army Medical Clinic Germany, and Kleber Army Medical clinic Germany. In 2014 I moved to South Carolina and started working in the R.J. VA Primary Care clinic before transitioning to the VA Chronic Pain Clinic in 2016.
I am certified in auricular acupuncture, dry needling, aroma therapy, cupping and Guasha. I incorporated these complementary and alternative treatments into my traditional Western medicine to treat Veterans with chronic pain.
I retired from the VA in July 2020 and joined as faculty of the MUSC CON DNP program in August 2020.
Keywords:
Chronic pain management
Heart rate variability biofeedback
Fibromyalgia management
Veteran health care
Complementary and alternative pain management
Auricular acupuncture