WHO IS JAYMIE DEAL WILSON, MSN, APRN-CNP, ACHPN?
Jaymie Wilson knew from a very early age that she wanted to be a health care provider. Of course, like many youngsters, she had high aspirations of becoming a doctor or a nurse that would make big changes in the world – cure cancer, heal the terminally ill, provide quality health care to the downtrodden in every corner of the world. But, she can vividly recall the moment that she decided to focus her medical skills on caring for the elderly, specifically for the older patients who seemed to be regarded as no longer significant in the world. “When my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, I witnessed his caregivers handling him too roughly, too dismissively, in my opinion. I couldn’t quite understand why they couldn’t see him the way I saw him – a genuinely loving man who had served his country and his family with pride and dignity. I knew I wanted to be in the health care profession to provide a voice for those patients – for the ones who, for various reasons, may have trouble standing up for themselves.” In fact, the exact moment her career path took on laser beam focus was when the nuns at the hospital asked her to leave because she was so vocally opposed to the way the nurses surprised her restrained grandfather by giving him a shot without warning him.
Indeed, Jaymie pursued this career goal methodically and tenaciously. Interestingly, it looks as if every letter in the alphabet now follows her name. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences from Oklahoma State University, a Registered Nurse’s Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Tulsa, and a Master’s Degree in Nursing (Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) from the University of Southern Alabama. She began her nursing career at St. John’s, where she worked in various roles, including Rapid Response, ICU, and Palliative Care (using her certifications as a Critical Care Registered Nurse and Advanced Cardiac Life Support).
Since 2017, Jaymie has been with Palliative Drug Care (PDC Rx) where she began as a Clinical Account Manager. At PDC Rx, she found the perfect professional home to showcase her training as an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse and a Trained End of Life Nursing Education Consortium Trainer. When I asked her if it was difficult for her to leave the hospital setting, she said that her decision was relatively easy because, from the moment she met members of the PDC Rx staff, she sensed the organization’s overflowing passion for hospice care. As Clinical Account Manager, Jaymie managed prescription claims for hospices across the United States and assisted clients with symptom management.
Currently, Jaymie serves PDC Rx in a slightly different capacity. She is now the Vice President of Operations. Consequently, when at work, she is wearing many different hats. Even though her current position requires her to serve more in an administrative capacity, she still uses her skillset to serve and offer training to her PDC Rx clients and their families. She manages the day to day operations of PDC Rx and their clinical and sales/marketing teams. She does remain the account manager for some of the company’s clients with whom she has developed a very special relationship. Also, she completes clinical in-services to assist hospices with utilization reviews and cost savings, and she works with them on best practices regarding medication use and symptom management. She certainly makes sure that she saves enough time in her busy schedule to participate in the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC).
As a little nugget to reward those of you who are still reading, to placate those of you who were able to get past the delineation of Jaymie’s degrees, certifications, etc., I would like to tell you more about her as a person. After visiting with Jaymie for even a moment, it is clear to see that every degree, certification, award in the world cannot qualify her for this position more than the kindness in her heart does. As just one small example, she is extremely dedicated to an organization called Empower Tanzania whose mission it is to provide health advocacy to Tanzanians. In 2017, she and her husband traveled to Tanzania, where Jaymie taught classes regarding healthcare, and Jason, her husband, helped with the planning of future water wells.
So, as you can see, Jaymie Deal Wilson (wife of 15 years and the mother of two girls) traded her dream to CURE the terminally ill for her desire to CARE for them, instead. She reads and trains incessantly, not for the prestige or the glory, but for the sheer satisfaction she gleans from learning as much as possible about providing respect and dignity to people as they face the end of the physical phase of their lives.
PDC Rx Contributor: Joanna Rasp