She worked for 20 years as a registered nurse in emergency rooms, obstetrics and public health, during which time she also practiced in Southern Africa, chiefly in Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa. She has also worked in the West Virginia coal fields and the Navajo reservation in Chinle Arizona, as well as in Seattle, New York and Los Angeles. In 1996, she entered graduate school at State University of New York, earning a master’s degree as Family Nurse Practitioner.