I started my career in nursing in 2006, working at the bedside for 8 years. Most of this time was spent in an acute care nursing pool at the hospital here in Traverse City, Michigan. I had a vast array of experiences working in several specialties from oncology, orthopedics, cardiothoracic surgery, mental health, rehab, etc. During this time I was also a clinical instructor for Ferris State University in the BSN accelerated track. In 2013, I received my master’s as an advanced generalist, specializing as a Certified Clinical Nurse Leader. From 2014-2020, I served as a Clinical Nurse Leader on a 40-bed general medical unit. I received my Doctorate of Nursing Practice in 2017 from the University of Michigan- Flint. After the birth of our daughter in 2018, I was able to go down to part-time in the hospital and began teaching online. I have taught at Spring Arbor University (Faculty lead for Advanced Health Assessment), Northern Kentucky University (Research, Evidence-Based Practice, and Theory courses), and Capella University (DNP Dissertation Mentor).

On a personal note, I live in Traverse City, Michigan with my husband Ryan and two children (Asher 3 years, Ella 4 years). We have many pets (2 dogs, 1 cat, 3 horses) and enjoy being outside. In the summer we do a lot of camping, boating, kayaking, and I ride my horse. In the winter we try to be outside as much as possible with sledding, snowshoeing, and building snow forts.