Beth Shaine, PNP
Biography
Having lived in the upper Valley for over twenty years, I am delighted to be "coming home" and working in my own backyard again. I also feel lucky, as I have throughout my career, to have a job I love, one that gives me the opportunity to meet and care for a fascinating, fun variety of babies, kids, teens and, of course, families.
While in college as a biology major at Cornell, as I juggled options including med school and research, I discovered nurse practitioners (NPs) while volunteering at a local clinic. While NPs do much of what doctors do, the training is a little different, combining the "caring" focus of nursing with the "curing" focus of medicine.
After getting my Master's and NP training at Yale, I worked in Boston for a couple of years before moving "out west" to Amherst in 1980, where I started my family and discovered the joys of combining part-time Pediatrics with raising kids. I've worked with children with special needs, in college health at U Mass and also at the Mercy Hospital ER. For the past 15 years, I've worked in primary care at Medical West/Riverbend in Chicopee and more recently at Sumner Pediatrics in Springfield. I'm Board Certified as a PNP, and have also taught Pediatrics in the U Mass graduate nursing program. I'm particularly interested in developmental and psychological issues, as well as adolescent health and gynecology, but mostly I love the challenges of a variety of ages, systems and people!
My husband, Bill, and I live in Shutesbury, where we have just become "empty nesters" as the third of our daughters headed off to college. When not working, Bill and I try to fit in lots of travel, skiing, rafting, live music, and visiting our kids. It's a thrill to be the first Pediatric Nurse Practitioner on the great team at Northampton Area Pediatrics.
Education
Undergraduate:
Cornell University, BA, Biology
Masters:
Nursing/NP Training: Yale University School of Nursing, MSN
Previous Work Experience
Sumner Pediatrics, Springfield
Riverbend Medical Center, Chicopee
Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health
Mercy Hospital Emergency Room
UMASS Health Service
Memberships and Certifications
Special Interests
Medical:
Development and Behavior, Adolescent Medicine and Gynecology
Non-medical:
skiing, rafting, reading, jazzercise
