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| Patricia ("Patsy") Thompson Leavitt, M.S., F.N.P.
Ms. Leavitt came to Saint Joseph's College in 2007, following a rich and varied career as a clinical nurse, administrator, and educator. Following graduation from Boston College's School of Nursing in 1977, Ms. Leavitt worked many years as a clinical nurse and then as a nursing administrator. During her tenure as Vice President for Nursing at the Brighton Medical center, Patsy earned her MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) from the University of Southern Maine in 1990. Her thesis explored the interactions and power relationship between nurses and physicians in a hospital setting. In 1994, Patsy completed the first of two post master's certificates, earning the Nurse Practitioner (NP) credential. In 1995, she became a pioneer nurse practitioner in the Emergency Department in the Maine Health system, and worked at the state and federal level to advance legislation to increase public access to nurse practitioner services. In 1998, Ms. Leavitt expanded her role as an NP, working in a pediatric primary care setting, as well as joining the faculty of Simmons College as a clinical instructor in the Maine based NP program at the University of New England. She later took the role of coordinator of the Family Practice portion of the Simmons/UNE NP program. In 2003, frustrated by the lack of primary care services for uninsured persons, Patsy opened a free clinic in the rural community of Buxton, Maine. Leavitt's Mill Free Health Center is a model of interdisciplinary care and service learning. Students from Saint Joseph's undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, as well as interns from several local academic settings, form a vital part of the center's programming. The center is an environment where students take part in making "social justice" a reality for the local community. Ms Leavitt teaches Pediatric Nursing at Saint Joseph's College, and oversees a number of clinical internships in her role as executive director of the Leavitt's Mill Free Health Center. NEWS 2009 6 Who Care Award Winner
- Patsy Thompson Leavitt |
