Mason Clinic-Primary Care’s Jennifer Nelson, an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP), is known for going above and beyond for her patients and the Mason County community. She takes her time with patients, whether they are her own patients or ones that have been scheduled last-minute when their regular provider is not available, and has volunteered her time at Mason Health’s vaccination events. Her dedication and service are why her colleagues have named her the Mason Health January 2023 Employee of the Month.

Nelson grew up in Vancouver, Washington, and felt drawn to health care. She assumed she would become a nurse, but after graduating from the University of Washington in 2005 with a degree in Sociology, she took time off school and considered her options. Nelson worked for years with a homeless youth housing program and then spent two years in the Peace Corps in a village in Moldova, an Eastern European country nestled between Ukraine and Romania. While there, she created a community development youth program — there is a gym in the village, “Jennifer,” named after her.

During this time, a friend of hers who was a certified registered nurse anesthetist suggested that she look into becoming a nurse practitioner.

“I just want to care for people,” Nelson said. “I wanted to do community health medicine, get out of the city and work with more rural populations that are underserved. I want to be an advocate and a support person for people.”

Nelson graduated from Seattle University’s ARNP program in 2014. She completed clinical rotations under Dr. Allen Millard, MD, at what was then known as Olympic Physicians clinic in Shelton. She had visited Shelton in the summer for years, and her dad lived in town. When she was offered a job to stay on at Olympic Physicians in 2014, she took it. She has been with Mason Health ever since.

“Jennifer never hesitates to do procedures on the fly for a patient that is here and willing to save them an extra trip coming in,” said Amy Matthews, MA-C, a medical assistant at Mason Clinic-Primary Care. “She sits and listens to the patients’ needs and never rushes them. Recently, she did above the measure foot care on an elderly gentleman. She stepped in did what she could right there at a normal office visit, to provide the best patient care until we could get him referred out. I am honored to work alongside her.”

In her spare time, Nelson enjoys rock climbing, mountaineering, snowboarding, skiing, painting and gardening. She lives in Olympia with her 5-year-old son, two dogs, two cats and six chickens. She believes preventive care is the best medicine and is accepting new patients. Call Mason Clinic at 360-426-2653 to schedule an appointment.

Mason Health, Public Hospital District No. 1 of Mason County, is ISO 9001 Quality Management System certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. Mason General Hospital and Mason Clinic are ENERGY STAR® certified and Mason Health is the recipient of Practice Greenhealth Partner for Change Environmental Excellence Awards. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. For more information or to find a health care provider, visit www.masongeneral.com. To learn more about DNV, visit www.dnv.com/healthcare.