What are you currently doing?

I work as a Nurse Practitioner at a private practice and in the emergency room.  In my private practice, I manage the regenerative medicine department where I also administer ultrasound-guided injections for athletes and individuals with acute and chronic pain issues.  Ultrasound-guided injections can heal many of the neurologic and musculoskeletal pathologies that cause acute and chronic pain.  We are on the cutting edge of the application of autologous stem-cells, platelet-rich plasma, and placental allograft tissue matrix for healing the body.  In the emergency room, I provide a triage-type care for patients in the fast-track department, successfully decreasing patients’ wait times and streamlining the flow of the department.

How did NHCM prepare you for your current role and life after graduation?

The programs of both Wharton and Nursing gave me the vantage point from which to view my clinical role within the space of the healthcare industry.  I utilize my business background to direct and grow my clinical department with both clinical confidence and business competence.  The NHCM preparation is a large part of the reason we have been able to increase profitability and patient volume within my department.

I have observed providers and clinic directors aim to deliver the best quality healthcare without a business background, and I believe they have made mistakes I have been able to avoid because of the preparation I received through the NHCM program.  Furthermore, the ability to switch from wearing the “clinician hat” to the “business hat” was something we practiced in the NHCM program when we went from clinicals to marketing presentations, and this skill has been very useful in my job.  When I am compelled to pull up Excel and use financial rationales to enable my partners, colleagues, or patients to better understand a situation, I attribute that to NHCM.

What was your favorite aspect of the NHCM program?

The long-term collaborative relationships formed with like-minded peers in the program.  One individual in my cohort became my ally in the launch of a non-profit healthcare organization in Burundi, Africa called LifeNet International.  Together, we applied our NHCM program philosophy and merged healthcare education, quality evaluations and profitability models within the rural clinics of Burundi.

What were you involved in as a student at Penn?

The Running Club, Wharton Women, the Global Health Nursing Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Habitat for Humanity

What do you think you’ll be doing five years from now?

I envision myself working independently as a clinic director in regenerative medicine as well as assisting the country offices of LifeNet International in growth and implementation.  I hope to start a family by that time, so I believe my career can adjust to a more flexible schedule as I focus more on my family.