I don’t know about you, but when I meet folks who are similar to me in very specific ways, it sparks excitement and connection. In this first podcast of our new season, we welcomed Kortney Brown, NP, RD and Whitney Trotter, MS, RDN/LDN, RN, RYT. We are all dietitians and nurses and two of us are nurse practitioners. Whitney is currently finishing her clinical rotations to become a doctorate nurse practitioner. Additionally, we have found symmetry together in choosing to work in the eating disorder area of our fields.  

We’ll hear from Kortney, Whitney, and myself on the podcast around why we chose to combine our degrees as dietitians, nurses and nurse practitioners. We’ll discuss what has and has not worked in terms of our degree combinations. For example, can we really work as both dietitians and nurse practitioners in our respective fields? Does the workplace value a dual degree? Does this dual degree mean more to us personally in terms of how we reach patients? How could our education shift to best support new clinicians to be out in the throws of practice? We also touch upon full practice authority and genetic psychopharmacologic testing.

The discussion with Kortney and Whitney helped cement for me, again, why I chose to combine the fields of dietetics and nursing so many years ago. The three of us, and potentially more folks who have chosen to combine their degrees similarly, will definitely be having more conversations! I hope you enjoy what was an extraordinary combination of minds, ideas and passion in our field.

We have big news this month and can’t wait to share it with you!

Here’s a hint – our practice is growing – read on to get details! 

Starting February 22nd, Emily Pardue, PMHNP, is officially joining my practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Emily will be building her outpatient practice over the next few months taking on new patients. She not only brings her expertise to my practice, but patients appreciate her counseling and guidance on their journeys. 

Emily will begin to check emails next week ahead of her start date, seeing patients virtually for the time being. Please be in touch with Emily directly to schedule an appointment or a discovery call. More about Emily below!

Emily Pardue, PMHNP, is very excited to join Robyn’s outpatient practice! She is Board Certified as a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and has been working in the field for 10 years. She obtained her Master’s Degree from Boston College’s School of Nursing and has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Middlebury College.

In her work, Emily is drawn to the interconnectedness of body and mind and the relationship between nutrition and mental health. She started her medical career working in a primary care practice in Maine that integrated mental health treatment into their medical care model. She truly enjoyed improving access to care for patients and their families while closely collaborating with patients’ primary care providers. Emily then relocated back to Massachusetts, working as an NP at Walden Behavioral Care. 

While at Walden, Emily provided psychiatric and medical care to patients throughout their continuum of care, including the inpatient psychiatric unit, inpatient eating disorder unit, residential center, and partial hospitalization program. She has extensive experience treating patients with eating disorders, anxiety and trauma, depression and mood disorders, and ADHD.

In her free time, you will find Emily with her family. She enjoys baking bread and trying new cookie recipes with her children. Emily also has a love for reading, most recently revisiting some of her favorite books from childhood. Although Emily has always loved to travel abroad, over the past few years she has enjoyed exploring closer to home, discovering new restaurants, bookstores, and nature attractions throughout New England. 

To write we are more than fortunate to have Emily come aboard is an understatement.