96 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com T H E P U L S E O N CHARLESTON NURSES SIMONE CHINNIS, DNP, MBA, APRN, FNP-C, AE-C Upon graduation from Furman University, Simone Chinnis said she was disheartened because she didn’t know what she wanted to do for a career. She had worked for the mayor’s office as an intern. helping to place a nurse in every school in Charleston County. She enjoyed that experience, and she knew she desired a job where she could develop “partnerships with people while working toward common goals.” That was when she looked into the college of nursing at MUSC. But, in the end, it was what her aunt told her that really helped make up her mind: “She said, ‘If you want a job, get a job. But if you want a career, become a nurse.’ I started taking prerequisite classes for nursing and graduated with my BSN in 2005.” A lover of learning, Chinnis also holds a master’s in business, a master of science and a doctorate of science in nursing. She also completed a certificate program in Spanish at the University of Costa Rica in San Pedro. Chinnis now works for the College of Nursing and for Pelican Pediatrics. She is an instructor in the College of Nursing and the director of the PARTNER – psychiatric advanced practice registered nurse technology-enhanced residency-program. Chinnis explained that PARTNER is a joint endeavor between MUSC, the Center for Telehealth and the Institute of Psychiatry. She described finding her specialty “organically.” She said, “My specialty area is population health with a focus on the advancement of health equity. Life’s experiences and the challenges faced being an intersectional member of society filled me with a desire to create opportunities of equity for others.” She has served as board member for the Shifa Free Medical Clinic and Berkeley County First Steps. Her advice to future nurses: “I would tell aspiring nurses to set personal goals and to take steps to reach their goals. For some, the path will be a straight line, and, for others, it may be a sinuous trail. Remain reflective throughout your journey and steadfast on your path. You will get there eventually and possess a wealth of knowledge and skills that you gleaned along the way.” For more information on PARTNER, visit https://nursing.musc.edu/practice/faculty-practice-partnership/partner. “It is a 100% remote tele-psychiatric residency program providing care using telehealth to patients. We need financial support to make this program sustainable,” she added. NICOLE SARTOR, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CHPPN Nicole Sartor admitted that she couldn’t believe that driving to people’s homes and attending to their physical-skill needs and then having the privilege to talk to them about living and dying with a serious illness was even a job. She recalled the moment she knew palliative and hospice nursing was her calling. “It all began during my undergraduate community health rotation,” she explained. “My clinical was through a visiting nurse association, and I was sent out to visit a woman with pancreatic cancer. I spent less than 15 minutes getting her vital signs, doing a pain assessment, palpating her abdomen and doing a health assessment. This was followed by 45 minutes of listening to her experience living with a terminal diagnosis. I will always remember listening to how cancer changed her life, what she hoped for and what she worried about. That visit lasted an hour, but the impact of our conversation shaped my nursing career and became part of her legacy.” She said that sacred moment changed her life: “While my classmates were learning exciting lifesaving skills using state-of-the-art technology, I was learning how to help people consider their goals and how they define the quality of life.” Sartor attended Colby-Sawyer College for her bachelor’s in nursing and then Stony Brook University for her master’s in nursing. She attended MUSC for a DNP in life span palliative care. Her advice to aspiring nurses: “Nursing is a caregiving profession, and, to do this well, we must learn how to care for ourselves.” HealthLinks CHARLESTON has partnered with the MUSC College of Nursing to highlight some of the Lowcountry's top nurses. Expand your career! nursing.musc.edu
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