Amanda has been in a nursing role, in various capacities, for over 30 years. She started out as a nursing home volunteer in Aitkin, MN in 8th grade, which sparked her interest in nursing. After high school, she began working as a nursing assistant in Granite Falls, MN and enrolled in the LPN program at Willmar Technical College. Working in the role she had studied for was an important steppingstone to the next phase of nursing. After 7 years working as an LPN, in settings from pediatric home care to prison nursing, she was prepared to pursue her RN. She graduated from MN West Community and Technical College with an associate degree in nursing in 2010 and worked as an RN in the rural hospital setting, where she gained experience in the ER, OB, ICU, and medical/surgical departments. During that time, she also gained experience working at a residential alcohol, drug, and gambling dependency treatment facility. In 2014 she pursued her passion for patient advocacy, and using her knowledge of community resources, as an RN care coordinator with Bluestone Physician Services. She worked with Medicare and Medicaid managed care recipients.
Through her experience as a care coordinator for the last 9 years, working with people in their homes to improve and maintain quality of life by connecting people to resources, she came to know the desperate need for improved access to healthcare and services in rural Minnesota. So, in 2018, she returned to school, this time to gain leadership skills to act on her passion about care for rural Minnesotans. In 2019 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Walden University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She continued on to the Master of Science in Nursing - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program. She graduated from the program in August 2022. She became board certified as an Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), with a specialty in Psychiatry, through the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) in November 2022.
Amanda has served on community-oriented boards and committees, including the Board of Directors at Luther Haven Nursing Home in Montevideo, MN, the advisory board for Rice Hospice, and as a member of the Chippewa County Opioid Task Force. This opportunity came to her after she spent time at the MN State Capitol throughout the 2019 legislative session, advocating for improved patient access to substance abuse treatment, abuse prevention, and education programs. Amanda highly values the importance of bringing providers together for a collaborative team approach to care, while empowering individuals to become active participants in their own healthcare. The overarching goal is to achieve optimal health outcomes for her patients.
Amanda’s family roots in the Wadena and Hubbard County region run deep and she has always considered this area to be home. She loves spending time outdoors, enjoying all that nature has to offer. She enjoys participating in various community events. She is excited for the her family to become a part of this broader community, as she works to advocate for and serve the needs of this rural Minnesota community as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Amanda looks forward to seeing patients in collaboration with the rest of the wonderful team at GroupWorks Wellness and Recovery in Park Rapids to provide medication management to improve and maintain emotional wellness for people over age 12.