New Nurse Practitioner Joins FirstHealth Cardiology and Pinehurst Medical Clinic Team
| Date Posted: 7/2/2021
PINEHURST, N.C. -- FirstHealth of the Carolinas and Pinehurst Medical Clinic recently welcomed a new cardiology nurse practitioner, Heather Blackburn, DNP.
Blackburn joins Pinehurst Medical Clinic’s cardiology team and will work with Patrick Simpson, M.D., to serve patients through FirstHealth Cardiology. Blackburn has been with FirstHealth of the Carolinas since 2007 and most recently worked as a nurse on the coronary care unit.
“I have always been a proponent of higher education, so it was a logical choice for me to pursue an advanced nursing degree,” Blackburn said. “I spent 14 years working in the coronary care unit, so cardiology is an area that I am comfortable in as well as a topic I’m passionate about.”
She earned a Doctor of Nursing from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2021 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Winston-Salem State University in 2009.
Blackburn said she has been interested in health care since childhood and was inspired to pursue it as a career during her time at North Carolinas State University.
“When I was in my last year at N.C. State, my grandfather became critically ill. My aunt, who was a critical care nurse, moved in with my grandparents to care for him,” Blackburn said. “After witnessing the skills, knowledge, and caring that my aunt demonstrated, I decided to go back to school to be a nurse.”
Outside of work, Blackburn said she likes to read, boat, spend time with her family and travel.
FirstHealth Cardiology and Pinehurst Medical Clinic are committed to meeting the area’s growing need for access to cardiac care, specializing in treating several diseases and conditions to include coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmias, and much more.
To learn more about heart health services, visit our website.
