Family Nurse Practitioner Bobbi J. Palmer

Bobbi J. Palmer, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner (FNP-BC) at Saint Francis Clinic Kingshighway. She previously taught at Southeast Hospital College of Nursing. She is an advanced- practice nurse (APRN) with a Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN).

How Did You Begin Your Career in Nursing?

“My mother wanted to be a nurse. She watched a TV show that had nurses, and she liked the uniforms. I was a first-generation college student. I always knew I wanted to go to college, but didn’t know what I wanted to do. I went to a two-year community college and decided to go from there. I grew up in southern Illinois and the closest nursing program was Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO). It was very competitive at the time, but I got in.”

What Are Your Key Responsibilities?

“I work as a primary care provider, so I see patients by appointment. I see what we sometimes call ‘womb to tomb,’ newborns to the end of life. I take care of everything from earaches to urinary tract infections, hypertension to diabetes, high cholesterol, to acute abdominal pain. If you take care of people like you would want somebody to take care of your family, people tend to be happy and healthy.”

How Would You Say Your Job or the Industry as a Whole Has Changed Through the Years?

“Autonomy. If nurses are willing to pursue an advanced education, they have significant increases in their autonomy level. There are a lot more nurses doing that these days.”

What Do You Think Makes Working in Nursing Worth It?

“I’m very, very happy. I have great patients. That doesn’t mean they’re always easy, but it wouldn’t be great if they were always easy. Right? Everybody needs a challenge.”

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Partial reprint of an article from June 2021 edition of B Magazine.