I have been an RN for 27 years.  I began my nursing career as a diploma graduate from Our Lady of the Lake School of Nursing in Baton Rouge, LA.  In 1993, I graduated from a RN to BSN completion program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC.  My bedside nursing experience was in neuro-surgical trauma intensive care. In 1996, I returned to school at MUSC to complete my Masters in Nursing and become a Family Nurse Practitioner. As a family nurse practitioner, my clinical focus has been with providing care to the underserved and indigent population base.   My clinical practice has been in the primary care division of the Pinellas County Health Department.  In August of 2012, I obtained a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of South Florida to make the transition to academia.