APP of the Quarter

Clair Visconti is a Physician Assistant from Alton, Illinois. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from the University of Missouri in 2016, and then earned a master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri in December of 2019. Clair has been with the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU for two years.

From the first time she stepped foot in an ICU as a student, Clair has been passionate about critical care. She is committed to providing thoughtful and compassionate care for her patients, and is dedicated to her continued education. She loves being able to work together with her colleagues as a team.

Clair was named the Q2 2022 APP of the Quarter!

Her nominators say:

“Clair is exceptional. She consistently shows genuine dedication to caring for patients, being a team member, picking up/changing her schedule to fill staffing gaps, and being an overall exceptional APP! Clair consistently seeks to advance her knowledge and has been instrumental in advocating for the patients at CH. I can always count on Clair and proud to have her as a colleague!”

“Clair is always willing to help the group. She is passionate about making changes at CHNE, and offers solutions. It is exciting to watch her confidence grow in such a challenging environment. I am very proud of her growth as a member of the APP group at CHNE!”

Kevin began his career in healthcare in 2005 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital as a Respiratory Therapist, followed by Physician Assistant school at Saint Louis University—graduating in 2015. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my APP career with full-time work in Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and now Critical Care Medicine,” says Kevin. “Each area has helped me to grow my knowledge of medicine. I truly love my career and hope to share this passion with my surrounding peers and the community we serve.” In his free time, he enjoys camping, hiking, reading, watching re-runs of old TV shows and movies, and most of all: spending time with his family. He has a wonderful family including a beautiful wife, three daughters, three cats, and a wonderfully talented Australian Shepherd.

Kevin was named the Q1 2022 APP of the Quarter! “Kevin has been an excellent addition to our critical care team. Despite having previous experience, he does not hesitate to ask for advice on topics he is not familiar with. He is always willing to help out when needed and provides exemplary bedside manner with not only patients but their family members as well. He somehow manages to stay calm despite any type of situation and has been wonderful to work with.” Congratulations, Kevin!

Shawn is one of the APP Leads for the 44/78 ICUs as well as ACT/Codes for North Tower. He graduated from DeSales University and has been a Physician Assistant for 13.5 years. Shawn has worked in the Emergency Room, Neuro ICU, and is currently in the Trauma/Surgical ICU. Shawn is happily married and has two beautiful daughters. He is currently in the Army National Guard. Outside of work Shawn loves spending time with his wife and children, working out, and renovating their lake house.

Shawn was named the Q4 2021 APP of the Quarter! “Shawn consistently works to improve our APP group, advocate for our group, and enhance our knowledge base. Recently he has been putting in a tremendous amount of effort with the APP US courses and deserves special recognition for his steadfast daily efforts and also this large project he has taken on.” Congratulations, Shawn!

Nicole joined the department in 2013 after graduating from Goldfarb School of Nursing as an Acute Care Nurse practitioner. Nicole is currently the lead APP at Christian Hospital Northeast ICU. Outside of work, she enjoys home improvement projects, gardening, hiking, and spending time with her son, Blake, and daughter, Taylor.

Nicole was named the Q3 2021 APP of the Quarter for her dedication, resourcefulness, and support of her fellow colleagues. Congratulations, Nicole!

Melissa graduated with a BSN from the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, in 2011 and obtained her MSN, Adult Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) from the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, in 2020. She has practiced as an RN in the SICU at Northwest Medical Center, Springdale, Arkansas, from 2011-2013 and the CVICU at Washington Regional Medical Center, Fayetteville, from 2013-2020. While at Washington Regional, Melissa served as Nurse Residency Facilitator and Critical Care Coordinator. Melissa joined the APP group in September 2020 and staff in the CTICUs.

Melissa was named the Q2 2021 APP of the Quarter! Her nominator says, “She is highly motivated and took initiative by looking up patients before her shifts and studying at home with any procedures or devices she wasn’t familiar with. You can tell she cares about her patients and is always advocating for them. She also is a great team player, and I know I can always count on her if I need help.”

Teresa was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and joined the department in 2016 after graduating from the ACNP program at Saint Louis University. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she was a bedside nurse in the emergency department and cardiothoracic ICU at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Outside of work, Teresa enjoys spending time with her husband Brett and their boxer, Shirley. She also enjoys travelling, cooking, SCUBA diving, reading, and spending time outdoors running, hiking, kayaking, camping, and gardening

“I feel blessed to have been chosen to be part of the SICU APP group as my first job out of school. I enjoy the fast paced environment and have an amazing group of co-workers that have helped me learn and grow in my profession!”

Teresa was named the Q1 2021 APP of the Quarter! She is always attentive to the staff and patient needs and is a great resource to have on our care team! Congratulations, Teresa!

Becki Loveless, PA-C graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2000. She has worked in a variety of fields including orthopedics, emergency medicine, CT surgery, and most recently made the transition to critical care in July 2019. She currently works in the CTICU at BJH and in the ED at Missouri Baptist.

Becki has been active in both state and national PA organizations, currently serving as the HOD representative for MoAPA at the national AAPA conference. In addition, she has traveled throughout the country as a lecturer for the AAPA on responsible prescribing of opioids as well as the opioid epidemic. Becki was honored with the designation of Distinguished Fellow of the AAPA for outstanding dedication and achievement in the PA profession in 2015.  In her free time, she spends time being a sports mom for her two boys and traveling the world when there isn’t a pandemic going on.

Becki was named the Q4 2020 APP of the Quarter! She has been in the COVID-19 unit working nights for many months without a break. She has been a wonderful resource to her colleagues regarding caring for ECMO patients, and she consistently recognizes and helps out her team when others are overwhelmed with their workloads.

Kathleen has been a Physician Assistant in the Surgical ICU at Barnes/Washington University since 2017. Originally from Sacramento, California, Kathleen lived in the Bay Area of California for six years to complete her undergraduate degree at Santa Clara University and then worked as an EMT. She then moved to St. Louis in 2014 to start her Physician Assistant program at Saint Louis University. She quickly fell in love with St. Louis and it’s Midwest feel (without the up-North winters) and began working at Washington University soon after gaining her Physician Assistant Master of Medical Science degree.

The Surgical ICU has been the perfect job for Kathleen as she loves to stay busy and work in a fast paced environment. Her co-workers are amazingly supportive and have truly become close friends. She appreciates the challenges that her patients’ present and has enjoyed occasionally working at Christian Hospital Northeast whenever needed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kathleen, her boyfriend (Jeremy) and Jack Russell (Maggie) live in the Central West End and love eating, drinking and playing through the city. She especially loves to spend her free time biking (road and mountain biking), golfing (poorly), going to concerts and having get-togethers with friends and family. She’s never met a party she didn’t want to host! Fun fact: even though she grew up in California, she only cheers for Michigan sports since her parents are both Michiganders. Go Blue!!

Kathleen was named the Q3 2020 APP of the Quarter because she is an excellent team player and a creative problem-solver who is dedicated to delivering high-quality patient care.

Trish graduated from the ACNP program at Saint Louis University and joined the department in 2012 and is one of the Leadership APP’s for 44ICU and 78ICU. In addition to her work in the Department of Anesthesiology, she serves in the Air Force Reserve at Scott Air Force Base. Her dog, Lexi, is certified as a therapy dog and Trish enjoys patient and staff visits with her. For fun, Trish enjoys traveling and hiking and is looking forward to an upcoming vacation to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos.

Trish was named the Q2 2020 APP of the Quarter! She is an involved leader with excellent clinical skills. Trish is a very dependable, dedicated, and valued member of our group. Congratulations, Trish!