From the Classroom to the Community: Profiles of Clinical Practice – April Bigelow

As a leading educator of the next generation of nurses, the University of Michigan School of Nursing is committed to a tripartite mission of education, research and clinical practice. This series profiles the work our faculty do to bring much-needed clinical care to Ann Arbor and surrounding communities, while enhancing the lessons and experience they provide to students.

For April D. Bigelow, Ph.D., ANP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, her role as a clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing provides her with the opportunity to marry her two great professional passions – education and clinical care.

As part of the faculty at UMSN, April teaches classes in addition to working in clinical settings to bring care to underserved populations throughout the Ann Arbor community. UMSN’s commitment to clinical practice supports faculty members in dedicating at least 20 percent of their work effort to clinical activities and is a win-win-win for patients, students, and faculty alike.

Making a Difference in Patients’ Lives

Dr. Bigelow spends time every week caring for patients in two Ann Arbor-area health care settings - Packard Health West, a federally qualified health center, and the University of Michigan Health at Briarwood. She rotates her schedule between the two locations; seeing 12 – 15 patients a week. At the clinics, she provides outpatient palliative care, advance care planning, complex symptom management, and primary care to patients who may not otherwise have access to these important health care services.

“Every single patient I see is so appreciative because they have been disappointed by the health care system in the past and conditioned to not expect the care they need and deserve,” says April. “They can tell that I want them to be better and be as healthy as they can be, and I think that makes them want to work hard to be healthy.”

One of those patients is Mark Morbach, a patient of April’s for the past four years at Packard Health. Mark, who is being treated by April for type 2 diabetes, says, “April has given me the best health care I’ve ever had in my life. She is very versatile and always answers my questions whenever I’ve heard something on a TV or radio commercial. She takes the time to make sure I understand and know my treatment plan.”

Shaping the Next Generation of Nurses

April’s clinical practice is an integral component of not just her personal weekly routine, but also her classroom curriculum. In fact, students can accompany her to the weekly clinics where they not only learn essential clinical skills but also understand and appreciate the importance of patient-centered care by recognizing each patient’s unique point of view.

“Many students have been fortunate to always have access to care when they need it,” says Dr. Bigelow. “Exposing them to another perspective allows them to become compassionate, well-rounded nurses.”

Kelly Creal is one of Dr. Bigelow’s students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at UMSN. Kelly has shadowed April multiple times at both Packard Health and Briarwood as part of her DNP studies. She cites how April’s dedication to the development of her students has impacted her educational journey.

“I have enjoyed working with April as she cares for her patients. She shows each of them respect and is an inspiring source of comfort during really difficult times in their lives,” says Kelly. “She takes on extra work to bring students with her to her clinic days and empowers us to believe we can do anything we put our minds to. She’s one of the best professors I’ve ever had.”

Finding Fulfillment

As each semester passes and students come and go, Dr. Bigelow remains deeply passionate about being a successful educator– to make sure she has done everything in her power to help her students succeed in their nursing careers. Through fostering a dynamic classroom setting with open dialogues and discussions, to providing opportunities to treat patients in a clinical setting, Dr. Bigelow is, by all accounts, achieving that goal.

“Ultimately I want these students to be the best nurses they can be.”

You can learn more about April’s accomplishments and research publications here.