Whitesboro native Heather Burkleo has officially been an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) at Integrity Medical Clinic for one year, and she couldn’t be happier.
Burkleo, who graduated from Whitesboro High School in 2004 and is now raising her own family here, always knew she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. Her husband encouraged her to become a nurse, so she enrolled in nursing school.
Especially interested in women’s services, Burkleo chose to practice in labor and delivery, focusing on infant needs. She worked in a newborn nursery out of school, then at a pediatrician’s office.
However, once she began raising her own family, Burkleo needed a more flexible schedule and switched her career focus to home healthcare.
For 10 years, Burkleo provided home healthcare to area children and adults. Then, in 2020, she went back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner. As part of her schooling, she was required to take clinicals to gain first-hand experience. Unfortunately, at that same time, a global pandemic was changing the dynamic of healthcare, making an already-challenging pursuit even more difficult.
“When you’re in Nurse Practitioner school, it’s hard to find clinicals,” Burkleo said. “Couple that with Covid and it was nearly impossible. I called around to doctor’s offices, but nobody would take me.”
Finally, Holly Oliveira in Lake Kiowa agreed to welcome Burkleo into her clinic. Then Burkleo was able to work with Krystal Bewley and Polly Klement in Valley View. They connected her with Jana Hobbs, head of Integrity Medical Clinic in Whitesboro, who was looking for another Nurse Practitioner.
Burkleo was able to complete her clinicals with Hobbs, who kept the lines of communication open throughout the semester with the idea of hiring Burkleo full-time once she completed her schooling.
Burkleo took the month of August off while she studied for the boards, then was hired at Integrity Medical Clinic the day after Labor Day. Hobbs, who had built the clinic from nothing to a patient load of 3,000, was grateful to have Burkleo on board.
“She was the relief I needed,” Hobbs said.
Burkleo was equally pleased with the arrangement.
“I was so happy to stay close to home where I knew people,” Burkleo said. “I have a personal relationship with my patients. I see them out in the community. I hope that, as a result, they feel like I care more about them.”
Burkleo also appreciates the regular schedule of Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. This enables her to spend more time with her husband of 14 years, Mike (of MB Electric), son and two daughters (whose sports teams she coaches). It also allows her family to spend more time with her twin sister, Amber Parish, whose family also lives in Whitesboro.
Burkleo holds a MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) and Family Nurse Practitioner; is certified AANP (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners) and holds a Registered Nurse license and a Nurse Practitioner license.
Her duties at Integrity Medical Clinic include assessing patient symptoms, diagnosing problems, prescribing medication, developing a treatment plan and referring patients to specialists as needed.
Integrity Medical Clinic is located at 109 Bois D’Arc. They open Monday-Friday at 8:30 a.m. and begin seeing appointments at 9 a.m. The clinic closes at 6 p.m. They see patients of all ages (although do not specialize in pediatrics) and offer a variety of services including sickness/wellness visits, IV hydration and injectables like Botox and weight loss programs.
They work with a lab company who is on-site Monday and Thursday mornings to do labs; the rest of the week, they do their own.
New patients can typically be seen the same week they call in, and while appointments are highly encouraged, staff does try to squeeze in walk-ins as time permits.
Burkleo loves her job, enjoys working with the staff at Integrity and sees it as a long-term career. To book an appointment, call Integrity Medical Clinic at 903-564-3366.