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Melissa c. DeVore, BSN, RN

Regional RN Clinical Educator
SSM Health
St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Although I am not a native of St. Louis, my husband of 30+ years and our two grown boys have called it home since 1997. While growing up, my father was a special agent for the Union Pacific Railroad, so we moved around a bit. I’ve lived in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Illinois and settled in St. Louis.

My journey into health care was a long and winding road. After working in retail management and being a mom to two young school-aged children, I started taking college courses again and realized that working in the operating room as a surgical tech was my home.

After 4 years as a surgical tech, I started another journey to pursue my RN degree. Once completed, I continued with the Transplant team at St. Louis University Hospital and eventually became the Transplant Coordinator while returning to school for my BSN. While pursuing my RN, I worked full-time overnights, went to school during the day, and raised 2 boys with my husband. Working this crazy schedule, my husband would get the boys up, and I would meet them in the Target parking lot to “swap out” the boys. I would make sure they got to school, and then I was off to school myself. Don’t let others tell you it can’t be done.

After achieving my BSN, I became an Operating Room Manager, which provided a path to where I am today as the Perioperative Regional Educator for SSM Health in St. Louis. The sense of achievement and satisfaction working as a Clinical Educator was inspired and fueled first by my mother, who was also an RN, the support of my family, and my operating room family, who encouraged me along the journey from Surgical Tech to BSN. I am thankful to them all.

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

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