CLEARFIELD, Pa. — Bradley Shaw, MSN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-C, recently opened Still Waters Mental Health Services, LLC in Clearfield to meet the needs of the community. Shaw, a West Decatur native, holds dual certifications as a family nurse practitioner (FNP) and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) and has been practicing as a certified registered nurse practitioner since 2017. He graduated from LHU Clearfield in 2007 with an associate degree in nursing.
Shaw said he started out in health care by working as a certified nurse’s aide (CNA) in a local facility. He bought a home in the Clearfield area, got married and decided to continue seeking higher education in the field of nursing. Shaw said that having the LHU nursing program close to home was key to getting his nursing degree that led to his current position.
“I was working as a CNA, so attending classes anywhere else would have been next to impossible,” Shaw said. “The curriculum was also robust and affordable and has a great reputation for preparing registered nurses.”
Following graduation from LHU, Shaw worked as an RN in the Central Pennsylvania area for more than 10 years, in various areas including the emergency department, telemetry, long-term care and home health. Then, he and his wife, who also is an RN, decided to continue their education and obtained their FNP degrees from a joint Clarion/Edinboro program.
Shaw also received a master’s degree, thinking he would continue his father’s insurance business, but said, “God had other plans. Our region has a lot of unmet mental health needs.”
Shaw said his own personal experiences with anxiety and panic attacks led to his calling as a PMHNP. He was able to use the knowledge from both his nursing and business degrees to open his own practice.
“It is my honor to do my best to serve our community,” Shaw said. “I am confident that I will have a positive impact on the mental health needs of our community. I seek to serve others, to truly listen and get to know my patients’ stories. I want to reduce stigma, increase awareness, and improve access to mental health care in the local region.”
Shaw credits the LHU nursing program with preparing him to grow personally and professionally. He is proud to have graduated from a program that helped him become organized, effectively manage his time and prepare him to enter the field as a generalist RN.
Shaw’s wife, Mandie, MSN, FNP-C, also recently accepted a position as a faculty member of the Lock Haven University School of Nursing to continue the legacy of educating future, high-quality nurses for the local area.
For more information on Still Waters Mental Health Services, visit www.stillwatersmh.com or call 814-205-4025.
For more information on the Lock Haven University nursing programs, offered at both the Clearfield and Lock Haven campuses, visit http://www.lockhaven.edu/nursingdep/.