This is the second article in a series introducing the members of the Board of Nursing. The full Board consists of ten members: four registered nurses, an advanced practice registered nurse, two licensed practical nurses, a licensed nursing assistant, and two public members. Currently the officers of the Board are Ellen Leff, Chair; Jeanine Carr, Vice-chair; and De-Ann Welch, Secretary. Profiles of Ellen Leff, RN and Jeanine Carr, RN were included in the first article. This article features Donarae Metcalf, LPN; Deborah Robinson, RN; Alan Weiss, public member; and De-Ann Welch, LPN.
Donarae Metcalf is serving her second term on the Board as an LPN member, having been reappointed by Governor Douglas in 2008. She graduated from the Thompson School in 1995. Her career in long term care began at Berlin Health & Rehabilitation Center, first as an LNA. Now she is the staff development coordinator and primary instructor of the nursing assistant education program there. Ms. Metcalf lives in Chelsea and actively participates in her community, serving on many committees and organizations. Prior to becoming a nurse, she worked as an Orange County Deputy, a substitute teacher, and assistant to the special education coordinator at the Chelsea Public School. She and her husband have three grown children and five grandchildren.
Deborah Robinson was appointed to the Board in 2007 as an RN member. She is a professor of nursing and department chair at Vermont Technical College and has taught practical nursing since 1989. She teaches a wide range of nursing courses and clinical experiences. Ms. Robinson obtained her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Vermont and her MSN from the University of Phoenix. She resides in South Barre with her family and continues to practice per diem at Central Vermont Medical Center where she worked for the first six years of her nursing career as a staff nurse, charge nurse, and in-service instructor. Ms. Robinson is a member of the Vermont State Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau, Kappa Tau Chapter. She has also been active with the Spaulding High School Alumni Association and the Policy and Curriculum Committee.
Alan Weiss is currently serving his second term as a public member on the Board of Nursing. He serves on the Board's Practice Committee which is tasked with reviewing and developing Position Statements. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Weiss had a range of interesting career and volunteer experiences which cumulatively inform his service on the Board of Nursing. He was Director of Continuing and Adult Education at Norwich University. Mr. Weiss held positions on several health care related boards including the Vermont Medical Society, the Vermont State Nurses Foundation, and the Vermont Dental Board and its Tooth Fairy Program. Also of note were his two terms as a Representative in the Vermont State Legislature. His in-depth knowledge of parliamentary procedure is a particularly beneficial asset to the Board.
De-Ann Welch is an LPN and is serving her second term on the Board, having been appointed for her first term in 2002. She is a Vermont native who grew up in Groton and now resides in St. Johnsbury. Ms. Welch obtained her practical nursing education from Fanny Allen Memorial and she currently holds the position of Assistant School Nurse at the St. Johnsbury Academy. She describes her career as 'exciting as well as diverse,' having worked in geriatrics, med-surg, labor and delivery, newborn nursery, emergency, and orthopedics. She and her husband are parents of an adult son and daughter, and now they are hosting two international high school students.
