UR Medicine Thompson Health recently named Karen M. Parker of Honeoye Falls its new clinical nurse educator.
Parker obtained her doctorate degree in nursing practice, her master’s in nursing and her bachelor’s in nursing from St. John Fisher College in Rochester. She also has a bachelor’s in health services administration from SUNY Fredonia.
For the past three years, she served as a nurse practitioner and associate investigator for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Parker has also worked as a nurse practitioner and nurse in various other settings, and is a former assistant professor at the St. John Fisher’s Wegmans School of Nursing.
In addition, she worked as a nursing instructor at both Highland Hospital and the Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing in Rochester.
“Karen is a passionate nurse educator possessing expertise in a variety of classroom and clinical settings. She brings with her over 20 years’ experience in developing and improving programs, designing innovative curricula and learning environments, and creating highly engaging didactic and clinical lessons,” said Thompson Health Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer Hazel Robertshaw.
Robertshaw added that F.F. Thompson Hospital — which since 2004 has held magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center — is excited to welcome Parker. Parker will be a key player in future magnet applications and will lead the hospital’s nurse residency program.
“Having her talent at our highly-regarded community hospital will greatly enhance our commitment to engaging in research as well as the continued professional development of our knowledgeable and skilled nursing associates,” she said.