USER

I graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Nursing in 1988, from the University of Washington in 1998 with a Master of Public Health, and from Gonzaga University in 2009 with a Master of Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner. She has served as a United States Air Force Officer, Maternal-Child Public Health Nurse Supervisor, Community Health Educator, Family Nurse Practitioner with emphasis in OB/GYN & Pediatrics, Surgical First Assistant, and as Clinical Nursing faculty at Yakima Valley Community College and Washington State University and continues to work in migrant health at the Yakima Union Gospel Mission. She is presently very happy to be at Pacific Northwest University as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Course Coordinator Year 1 Community Doctoring, and 1st & 2nd year clinical skills instructor.

Professor Hepner’s background and experience as a public health professional and nurse practitioner have led her to her current position teaching medical students at Pacific Northwest University; a daily exercise in inter-professional education and one she enjoys immensely. One of her main roles as course coordinator of Year 1 Community Doctoring is to facilitate and evaluate inter-professional collaborative practice experiences in the local community for her students with the following allied health organizations: Hospice (nursing, social workers, chaplains) and Sundown M (in-patient drug and alcohol treatment facility). These experiences have been provided for the osteopathic medical students to encourage future inter-professional collaborative practice to ensure that students better understand their colleague’s roles and improve patient outcomes.