Profiles in Telehealth: Women's Health NP Expands Personal Mission with Virtual Care

Jessica I., a nurse practitioner specializing in women's health, started her career in the ER and NICU before becoming a Doctor in Nursing Practice (DNP.) She was a nursing professor before finding telehealth. She is passionate about women's health and loves that Wheel allows her to continue her mission of bringing women’s healthcare access to more patients.

What's your professional story?

I became an RN in 2002 and received my BSN in 2004. I worked as a nurse in the ER and NICU and worked alongside many NPs in both departments and knew from the start of working in the hospital ER with the NPs that I wanted to be an NP as well. I continued working throughout school in the hospital full time and going to school full time. I graduated in 2006 with my MSN as an FNP. I worked in women's health and oncology as an NP and in 2009 decided to go back for my DNP. I received my terminal degree in nursing from the University of Florida as a DNP in 2012.

I knew eventually I wanted to have children and working full time in the clinic would be harder so after receiving my DNP I began teaching in an NP program online which gave me the much needed flexibility I wanted when I had my daughter in 2013 and my son in 2018.

What's your life like outside of work?

Outside of work, my life is crazy busy. I have two kids, a 10-year-old girl and a five year old boy. I also have two dogs, a 15-year-old Pekingese poodle mix, and a one year old golden doodle, who is insane, and a loving husband of 15 years. Between kids, dogs, school, activities, and everything else involved in running a household - every minute of the day is busy!

What brought you to virtual care?

I actually fell into telemedicine by accident because of teaching NP students. You need multiple state licenses to teach students in the states they are living, so I started accumulating state licenses for teaching. Then I accidentally found a job in telemedicine in 2018 before it was mainstreamed by the pandemic. I realized with all my state licenses and passion for patient care and women’s health that I could make a career out of virtual care and bring healthcare services to so many more patients in areas that medical care was scarce or hard for patients to access in person.

What's it like to work with Wheel?

Working with Wheel is amazing, I absolutely love the ability to have so much flexibility to work when it’s convenient for me. It can be challenging to work around unforeseen sicknesses, volunteering at school, and after school activities and being a provider for Wheel solves for all those variables.

I also feel so grateful to be able to treat patients from coast to coast and provide flexibility in their lives to obtain their medical care on their schedule without having to make and appointment and travel to an office. This is particularly important in rural areas where it can easily take hours to access medical care.

What do you love most about being a clinician?

As a provider at Wheel, I am able to continue and expand my mission of bringing women’s healthcare access to more patients. In too many cases it is difficult if not impossible for women to obtain the care they need for basic health issues and in working with Wheel I have so many women express their gratitude for the help, guidance and counseling I provide them.

My favorite part of being a provider really is helping patients. Patients are very grateful for our telemedicine services and easy access to medical care and I really love being a part of expanding affordable access to healthcare and helping every patient I see live a healthier, safer, more satisfying quality of life.

Thank you, Jessica, for sharing your story! Compassionate, intelligent clinicians are our favorite part of Wheel.

For more check out our previous care team spotlights from an acute care NP who says virtual care is a game-changer, third-generation NP who uses flexible hours to support refugees, and a NP's journey from candy striper to virtual care.

Interested in joining a team of virtual care clinicians? Learn about working in telehealth with Wheel.