Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, MSN, APN RXN, PMHNPBC
License: Colorado / 0995231-NP
I am a native to Colorado and spent time growing up predominantly in Colorado and spent some time in Southern California as well as had strong family ties in Texas. I attended Maryville University located in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated with honors as a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Society of Nursing with my Masters of Science Degree in Nursing which is an Advanced Degree in Nursing as a Nurse Practitioner with a specialty in Psychiatric Mental Health holding Prescriptive Authority. I received my Baccalaureate Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. I have had a diverse and extensive nursing career prior to becoming a psychiatric provider which has entailed but is not limited to working with patients with traumatic brain injury and neuro trauma; spinal cord injury; certification in trauma nursing; certification in sexual assault and forensic examiner in nursing; forensic nursing; medical surgical nursing; general surgical nursing; telemetry (encompasses cardiology) nursing; acute care nursing; intensive care and step-down intensive care nursing; orthopedic, joint & spine nursing; pediatric nursing; pediatric neuro-trauma nursing; psychiatric nursing, oncology, private-duty nursing, home-health nursing, acute skilled nursing; rehabilitation nursing; long-term care/geriatric nursing; and public health nursing. Diverse environments I have worked in include hospitals; out-patient facilities; in-patient ambulatory, acute, skilled, rehab, long-term facilities; in private home settings; prison facilities and jails both women and male population; group homes; and safe-houses for abused and neglected children.
As a nurse, I have served in diverse roles from bedside nursing in hospitals and health care facilities both in-patient and out-patient settings, as well as in personal home settings, and schools along with public health nursing in Jefferson County where I worked with a coroner and was exposed to a diverse array of areas in public health nursing. Other roles I have served in nursing have been in supervisory capacities overseeing the nursing care and operational duties in long-term care and acute skilled nursing care facilities as well as worked bedside nursing in those facilities. I have served as a nurse both at Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center Department of Corrections, the Women’s Correctional Facility, and Aurora City Jail. I have served as a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Manager in home health care for Medicare and Medicaid Services in which I oversaw and measured quality outcomes in care, performing audits, measuring and reducing risks and adverse outcomes in care, which also entailed providing education to nursing staff.I have served as a case manager for a wide variety of nursing environments from pediatric home health nursing to adult home health nursing, and environmental nursing which is a supervisory position overseeing the nursing care being delivered in home health care settings, performing audits, creating and overseeing treatment plans, connecting patients with appropriate resources, and providing education to staff in which my caseload would be all over the State of Colorado. In environmental nursing, I dealt with patients with very rare cancers, and pulmonary, respiratory disease.
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to be members of and am still active in professional nursing and psychiatric associations which include SIG 31 Colorado Nurses Association for Advanced Practice Nurses, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Nursing Association, and the Colorado American Nursing Association. I have also had the wonderful opportunity of serving as a board member, specifically membership director, for SIG 31 CO Nurses Association for Advanced Practice Nurses and orchestrated the Colorado Chapter for the American Psychiatric Nurses Association serving as secretary treasure. Passionate areas of nursing of mine have included neuro trauma, forensics, and psychiatric nursing. As a psychiatric provider, I have worked both inpatient and outpatient facilities, correctional facilities, and worked alongside other psychiatrists, psychologists, physician assistants, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and therapists. I am presently in private practice for myself as a sole provider in an out-patient setting serving the community. I practice evidence-based practice providing the highest quality of patient-centered care. Because I offer both in-office appointments and telehealth appointments, I serve patients that reside all over the State of Colorado.My biggest priority is quality care and successful outcomes for patients that all begin with a strong therapeutic relationship with patients. What is special about my care in comparison to other providers is that I do take extensive time with my patients, do thorough assessments, and listen to my patients much more than the average provider. It is the key to my success in my ability to implement effective treatment plans and get Patient’s symptoms turned around fairly quickly in comparison to other providers. My patients are my priorities and I make myself available to patients much more than the average provider. I also pride myself in being able to offer extensive mental health services in one place.
