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Opportunities Are Vast For Sacramento Nurses In The Health Care Field

Mary E. Jude, FNP-C, PA, MSN, MPH is an assistant professor in the School of Graduate Nursing at Husson University. She received undergraduate degrees from the University of Maine at Augusta (ASN) and the State University of New York (BS/Nurse Practitioner), a certificate from the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks (Family Nurse Practitioner/Physician's Assistant), a Master's in Public Health from Loma Linda University in California and a Master's of Science in Nursing from the University of Maine.

SAC-Nursing
(Photo courtesy of Mary E. Jude, FNP-C, PA, MSN, MPH)

What is the importance of re-education in your field?

"Health care changes at a rate that seems nearly incomparable to other issues of public importance. One cannot sit still for a minute -- there is always something new on the horizon, current research being published and older ideas and methods found to no longer be applicable to today's medical problems. The focus for many years was on curative health and tertiary care, whereas today we are much more focused on issues of health equity, access to care and preventive health practices."

How have you seen your field change?

"I think that the concept of Advanced Practice Nursing (Nurse Practitioners and others) has probably been the most earth-shaking change in my lifetime. Although the NP profession has been around for 40 years, it is only in the last 10 years that I've seen what I consider a sea-change in the public's knowledge and acceptance of care from a non-physician provider. With the implementation of the ACA, NPs are part of a perfect storm that will ultimately provide health equity in terms of access to high-quality affordable health care for all Americans."

What is your advice to someone considering entering this field of work?

"For anyone interested in health care, be sure you have a passion for what you are considering. These are difficult careers that are very rewarding, but they require a strong commitment both to education and practice. One must be willing and passionate about service to your fellow human beings on this earth and have a commitment to lifelong learning."

Megan Bowyer is a freelance writer in search of the best food and drinks that Sacramento has to offer. You can find her at any number of dive bars or trendy restaurants; just look for the short blonde feeding the jukebox. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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