Nursing specialty change brings new NP to PMDC
By Jeff Kelley
The VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center’s (PMDC) designation last year as a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence caught Mairead (“Meg”) Busic’s attention as she was looking to start the next chapter in her nursing career.
Busic had a nursing career caring for patients undergoing surgery and in need of critical care.
In April, she joined the PMDC as a nurse practitioner and advanced practice provider and is looking forward to working with a team of neurologists, neuropsychologists, neurosurgeons, and physical, occupational and speech therapists to provide comprehensive evaluations and compassionate care in an outpatient setting for patients with movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, dystonia, ataxia, and essential tremor as well as for patients with dementia.
“I wanted to branch out and work with cutting edge advancements in other areas of the medical profession,” Busic says. “With the PMDC’s Center of Excellence designations from the Parkinson’s Foundation and Huntington’s Disease Society of America, PMDC seemed like the perfect place to gain that experience.”
After completing nursing school at the University of Rhode Island, Busic started her first nursing job at VCU Health’s Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit in 2013. Most recently, she’s been enrolled at the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at VCU while working at the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit.
“In my experience in critical care, I was working with patients who were acutely ill and often in emergency situations. These patients often had little access to care,” she explains. “I chose the family nurse practitioner track because I wanted to have a hand in primary and secondary prevention for these patients to deliver early screening, diagnosis, and prompt treatment of their chronic illnesses.”
Now on her new career path, she’s focused on improving the quality of life for patients living with movement disorders.
“I’m most looking forward to making a meaningful impact on people’s day-to-day lives,” Busic says.