“Nothing good comes from comfort zones,” Megan Pratt, associate professor and family nurse practitioner track leader at the 推荐杏吧原创, said. “Great things come when you put yourself out of comfort zones and give yourself the opportunity to listen to people and explore what you're passionate about.”
Pratt was recently honored with the This prestigious annual award recognizes only one person from each state.
“As an educator, Megan is shaping the next generation of nurse practitioners to lead with both clinical excellence and a deep sense of responsibility to the people they serve,” Charles Yingling, dean of the Orvis School of Nursing said. “And what really stands out is how she approaches interdisciplinary partnerships—not as an extra layer of care, but as a fundamental part of patient-centered practice. I nominated her because she reflects everything we value in this profession—and everything we strive for at the Orvis School of Nursing.”
Pratt's journey in healthcare began at the University, where she graduated from the Orvis School of Nursing. Like many students, Pratt was unsure about her career pathway.
“What I realized is that the people who spend the most amount of time with the patients and actually are able to impact their entire well-being are the nurses,” she said. “I really fell in love with nursing when I started in critical care nursing, specifically the ICU. It’s a tough environment, but I felt like if I could provide some light to somebody on the worst day of their life – whether it was them or their family member – that was my responsibility.”
Pratt explained that when working in the intensive care unit she saw a lot of cases that could have been prevented especially with older patients. This inspired her to take the next step in her career by becoming a nurse practitioner. As an associate professor at the 推荐杏吧原创, she oversees the family nurse practitioner program as well as the adult gerontology primary care program, she also continues her nursing practice once a week for Specialty Health, an organization that provides cardiometabolic risk reduction to first responders across Northern Nevada.
“I really made a shift in wanting to serve patients in a primary care setting and, provide health that way. I've always been a strong advocate for ensuring that everybody has good access to quality healthcare,” Pratt said.
Being a nurse practitioner provided Pratt with invaluable experience, but it also led her to a pivotal realization that she was happiest when working with patients and students. It was during this time that she discovered her true passion: teaching and helping others.
Reflecting on her time in the ICU and the patients whose conditions could have been prevented, she felt compelled to take action.
Pratt oversees the APRN Student-Led Wellness Clinic, which was established in 2022. Funded by Nevada Aging and Disability Services, the clinic collaborates with Sierra Manor and the Reno Housing Authority.
“This grant funded clinic is the only one I know of in the nation where we are really harnessing practitioner students to provide care and help with an identified health care gap,” she said. “Students are out in their community providing care to these low-income older adults.”
Barriers such as transportation and cost often prevent people from seeking care. By bringing students into the community, these challenges can be overcome while also providing preventive care, such as fall risk assessments. The program has also been able to successfully partner with students from social work and pharmacy programs.
The program finds its success by having small classes, allowing students to have close access to faculty. Students meet once to twice a week with their faculty to go over questions one on one. “We have an open door policy. We are a small local-feeling program that's not too big. Students do not need to navigate it on their own,” Pratt said.
As care practices advance, Pratt explains how she helps nurses who are already experts in their field transition into nurse practitioners.
“I think just ensuring that we are constantly asking ‘why.’ I tell my students, you know, we're doing something, but why? We should constantly be reviewing the literature, reviewing studies, making sure that we are moving with healthcare,” she said.
The supportive environment Pratt has created for nursing students goes beyond the award titles. For Pratt, being the only Nevada recipient of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Outstanding Contributions, is not about winning but about reaffirming her why.
“I really do love that I have the perfect role in that I get to still see patents I get to be out in the community giving back,” she said. “I get to work with students, I don’t know if many people can say that get to do all things they are passionate about everyday.”
