Jennie Evans, R.N., was the first nurse hired by architecture firm HKS Inc. to provide a clinical perspective on healthcare design, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.
She is now a senior vice president/associate principal at HKS. Her career path is increasingly common, as design firms develop a greater understanding of the importance of having nurses work with designers.
Kathy Okland, R.N., is senior healthcare consultant for design and manufacturing firm Herman Miller Inc. Her nursing career has given her an understanding of the decision-making involved in large capital expenditures.
Teenie Bracken, R.N., is a clinical healthcare planner for design firm EwingCole, says the combination of her work as a nurse and her training as a designer is a good marriage.