The Immediate Past President of OAAPN, Jesse has been practicing in neurology for 14 years in both an inpatient and outpatient capacity. Currently in practice at Mercy Health Youngstown, he has been an investigator, sub-investigator or study coordinator for numerous multiple sclerosis and stroke clinical trials. Prior to being elected President-Elect and then President in 2017 and 2018, Jesse was the Youngstown Chapter Leader, as well as the Northeast Region Director for OAAPN.
Jesse says that his involvement in OAAPN stems from his belief that you should protect and advocate for the things that you believe in. For him, that is being an APRN. “I could not think of doing anything else everyday of my life.” he says. He encourages all APRNs to become a member of OAAPN, and to be involved, advocate, and advance the profession of thousands of practitioners throughout the state. He says, “The easiest and most effective way to help is being a member and asking your colleagues to also be members.”
Crediting OAAPN with playing a huge role in his professional development, Jesse says that not a month goes by that he doesn’t learn something new that relates to his practice. He finds the access to a lawyer the bi-monthly clinical practice guidelines as resources that are particularly useful to him. “I have been practicing for 14 years and to continue to advance my knowledge and my practice for the betterment of my patients is a tremendous feeling.” He also enjoys the opportunities for networking that OAAPN provides, through chapter meetings, regional conferences and the statewide conference. “If we did not have OAAPN, I am certain our practice in Ohio would be unfortunately quite different.”
Jesse says his words to live by are “If you don’t trust the messenger, how can you trust the message?” He goes on to note that “[n]ursing is routinely the number one most trusted profession which means we are the trusted messengers. We need to mobilize and use this to our benefit.” And to current APRN students, his number one piece of advice is to become a member of the statewide organization. “No one is protecting you and your practice but you. Being a member of the your statewide organization gives you the opportunity to be informed.”
In his free time, Jesse enjoys spending time with his wife Kelsey, and their two-year old daughter, Noel. And even those of you who know Jesse might not know that he has attended the American Wine School and passed the Level 2 Certification with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust – now that’s something we can raise a glass to!