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Sacramento Nurse Practitioner Leveraged Degree To Open Career Doors

Elina Martinez is a family nurse practitioner in a Sacramento outpatient clinic for Mercy Medical Group. In her role as an advanced practice technician, Martinez sees her own patients and is able to prescribe medicine and treatments. She has a bachelor's degree in nursing with an emphasis on psychology and biology.

Family Nurse Practitioner Elina Martinez (photo courtesy of Elina Martinez)
Family Nurse Practitioner Elina Martinez (photo courtesy of Elina Martinez)

Martinez then earned her master's degree in nursing and has since worked in areas including labor and delivery. In order to keep her California nursing license current, Martinez regularly attends conferences, goes to lectures and keeps up to date with magazines and journals on different specialties. "The cool thing about nursing is that your options are wide open," she says. "You aren't pigeon-holed" into staying in one area forever.

Education has helped Martinez succeed in a field that has "endless possibilities" and that tends to be more stable during uncertain economic times. Martinez enjoys being able to have job satisfaction and job security at the same time.

What was the focus of your bachelor's degree studies?

"There is a deep learning curve in that first year," says Martinez, as you develop a foundation of knowledge on which to build. The intricate, detailed coursework in subjects such as anatomy, pharmacology and physiology were "very challenging but also very important." Martinez says she benefited greatly from hands-on skills labs and supervised preceptorship classes. "Nothing is more valuable than actually doing it," she says, "because no one fits perfectly into the box," as described in textbooks.

How did your master's degree program differ from your bachelor's degree studies?

Much of her coursework and practical experience was focused on developing assessment and diagnosis skills. "You are the one making the decisions on a real patient's plan of care," Martinez says, and she learned the value of interviewing patients face to face. "Eighty percent of a successful care plan is getting a complete history" on the individual, to ensure they receive the most appropriate treatment for their situation. "No two patients are the same," she says, "and I learn something new every day."

Have your psychology courses had an impact on your career?

"I'm dealing with people's personalities all day long," Martinez says. She has found that a holistic approach, with consideration given to the patient's mindset, is the most beneficial when working towards the treatment and prevention of health problems. "If a woman breaks her ankle, I also have to think about how it affects her life," says Martinez.

Valerie Heimerich is a freelance writer out of Sacramento. She typically covers animals and community issues. She has volunteered and worked for many organizations helping animals and people.
Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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