Hello,

I’ll begin by telling you about my professional background. I have been a registered nurse, BSN for over 20 years graduating from Fitchburg State College. My clinical experience began as a medical-surgical nurse in a small community hospital.

Shortly after graduation I was recruited by one of my former instructors to teach a clinical medical assisting course offered through the adult education program at Middlesex Community College, in Bedford. My evaluations were excellent. At this time I also became a first-aid instructor through the Red Cross and a CPR Instructor through the American Heart Association.

I moved from the acute hospital setting into eventually managing a "walk-in" physician's office in Cambridge. This environment is a bit like the emergency room, you never know what is going to walk through the door. The physicians I worked with were wonderful teachers and it was in this venue that my clinical assessment skills were honed.

A private organization owned a number of these walk-in physician offices. After working as a practice manager for nine months I was asked to move to the corporate office. Here I helped grow the services of an occupational health department. Eventually, I became certified as an occupational health nurse.

This role entailed a lot of teaching to both staff and clients. Staff was primarily trained in the use of diagnostic testing equipment used to do employment screening tests. Training for clients consisted of teaching their employees about substance abuse and where to get help if needed. Client supervisors were educated on how to recognize a troubled employee and how to properly handle the situation.

Eventually, I taught classes to nurses related to occupational health through the Center of Continuing Professional Education at the Harvard School of Public Health. During this time I also presented at educational sessions at the National Association for Occupational Health Nurses.

Further along in my career I changed direct