Virus. Epidemic. Epicenter. These themes have marked Assistant Medical Director Nicolas Rossetti’s medical career. He became a registered nurse in 1984, at the onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The RN served for a decade in the ER of the now-closed St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, then considered the AIDS epicenter.
Fast forward 35 years to the present, where Nicolas, now a Nurse Practitioner, counsels Mobile Health clinicians and administrative staff in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former Air Force medic (combined with Army Reserves duty, he served 26 years) notes parallels between the two health crises. “Back then, it was very hard to watch patients die, often in the ER before receiving treatment,” he recalls. “Also, healthcare workers feared caring for patients with a highly contagious disease.”
Between these historic outbreaks, Nicolas built a healthcare career that balances clinical care with administration. He’s also carved out plenty of opportunities to teach, something he relishes. That, and staying busy, as evidenced by his constantly ringing phone.
Occupational Health Entrepreneur
Following St. Vincent’s and a brief stint with the Visiting Nurse Service, Nicolas joined Village Care of New York. At that time, Village Care provided home health for AIDS patients as well as geriatric care. During his 24-year tenure, he became a Nurse Practitioner, and taught and mentored graduate students at Pace University and Hunter College. He also proposed and oversaw Village Care’s employee health department, which dispensed services similar to Mobile Health’s. Following this first foray into occupational health, he ran Village Care’s primary care practice, eventually returning to a clinician role there.
The closing of that employee health department led Nicolas to Mobile Health in 2014. His part-time commitment eventually grew into a full slate of clinical oversight duties, including creating the company’s first Policies and Procedures Manual. On any given day, he might orient new clinical staff, create protocols for new services like COVID-19 Point of Care Testing, or tweak coding within Mobile Health’s electronic medical record (EMR) system.
All while fielding constant phone calls.
Mobile Health Strengths
Beyond its superior level of care, Nicolas views Mobile Health’s digital EMR, along with expedited test processing, as its greatest selling points. “Our technology is a real strength,” he says, crediting the technology team. “Anyone can examine a patient or order a lab test, but who can say they can release the results in one to two days?”
For example, Nicolas strives to obtain same-day chest X-ray results for patients who have tested positive for tuberculosis. “We want to relieve the stress of waiting for that patient. Also, they may have a communicable disease.”
Though he misses the camaraderie of a clinic or office, the Assistant Medical Director finds Mobile Health a great place to work. “Being busy and productive makes the day go by faster. And I really enjoy the teaching aspect of the job.”
Life in the Sunshine State
Nicolas may live in Florida, but his life in the Sunshine State is anything but retiring. He and husband Michael share two four-legged ‘children,’ Yorkshire Terrier Chula Belle, and Niko, a Bichon Frisé. The pair enjoy kayaking and canoeing and look forward to resuming their in-state road trips when Florida is no longer a COVID-19 hot spot.
Up next: a return visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to visit Winter, a bottlenose dolphin fitted with a prosthetic tail after being caught in a crab trap.
Tags: COVID-19 testing, EHRs, electronic health records, epidemic, medical director, nurse practioner, pandemic
