I am originally from Canada and completed my early nursing education there, starting with a diploma program at St Paul's Hospital School of Nursing in Vancouver Canada. I emigrated to Hawaii in 1984 and worked as a staff nurse and developed a nurse recruitment business. I completed a master's degree to University of Hawaii at Manoa as a family nurse practitioner in 1995 and taught at Hawaii Pacific University for 11 years after that. I achieved my ultimate goal of a Doctorate in Nursing Practice in 2007 through Case Western University in Cleveland Ohio. I have been teaching online for Walden University's NP program ever since.
Currently, I work as a family nurse practitioner with the Honolulu Police Department, in the cellblock where I address the needs of the homeless mentally ill who cycle through there, as well as others in need of interventions to ensure their safety and health while in "overnight" detention. I also recruit and mentor nurses who work in Hawaii acute care facilities, and participate in state lobbying and legislative activities, in keeping with my support of the American Nurses Association's work.