Deborah Chartrand

Deborah graduated from Worcester State University in 2018 with a master's in nursing education. She is currently a lead clinical nurse educator in the home health sector. As a second-career nurse, Deborah has made significant strides in her professional development as a registered nurse in the last 12 years. She is board-certified in psychiatric and mental health nursing, and since becoming certified, has worked in the inpatient setting as a nurse educator for two behavioral hospitals, one of which specializes in treatment and recovery for patients with eating disorders.

In her current role, Deborah trains home care clinicians who perform visits for patients with dual diagnoses, specifically those with mental illness. In this role in community nursing, Deborah's training includes case management, medication management, safety and crisis intervention, assessment of psychiatric status and behaviors, trauma-informed care, and therapeutic communication. She also develops material for quarterly educational in-services that range from psychiatric clinical skills to documentation, IC protocol, cardiac assessment, phlebotomy, preceptorship, OASIS-E, and HealthWyse EHR. Deborah facilitates full-scale orientation programs and performs joint visit evaluations for all nursing staff. She is also wound care certified and provides consultations for agency staff, working directly as needed among interdisciplinary teams, wound clinics, and providers. She has developed advanced educational content and trains routinely on wound care. Her earlier experience includes long-term care, orthopedic acute care, and school nursing. For a few years in the middle of her nursing career, Deborah was the director of nursing for a medical home care agency. Although she enjoys the hands-on medical aspect of nursing, she has come to have a passion for community nursing and working with vulnerable populations in healthcare.

Deborah has completed all course work for the health and wellness nurse coach program accredited by the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy and is presently preparing for board certification.

Deborah is originally from Florida but has resided in Massachusetts for some time. She has three charming but unwitting children who are thoroughly adored. She tries steadfastly to manage a full house including five rescue animals. As weather permits, Deborah is active in a semicompetitive women's softball league three seasons of the year.