Nurse Practitioner Sarah Fischer Committed to Student Well-Being, Campus Collaboration
Image by Ed Brennen
New Director of Health Services Sarah Fischer has spent the summer meeting with departments across campus to see how they can collaborate to best meet the needs of students.
08/05/2024
By Ed Brennen
For many students, one of the best things about heading off to college is experiencing a greater degree of independence. They learn how to manage a schedule, keep track of finances and make healthy choices.
Chances are, they also learn how to take care of themselves when they are sick.
At UMass Lowell, that means visiting Health Services, which is part of the Wellness Center on the third floor of University Crossing. Health Services provides students with free diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of illnesses, as well as immunizations and mental health referrals.
Sarah Fischer is about to begin her first full academic year as director of Health Services. An experienced nurse practitioner who has also served as an adjunct faculty member at UMass Chan Medical School, Fischer joined UML in April. She had spent the previous six years as a nurse practitioner at Infectious Disease Associates and Travel Medicine in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
“I’m just really excited to be here. It's a great place to be, and Health Services has a stellar team,” says Fischer, who leads a team of two nurse practitioners, two registered nurses, a medical records manager and several support staff members.
Image by Ed Brennen
Director of Health Services Sarah Fischer, right, chats with Wellness Center Assistant Channa Vieng in the waiting room on the third floor of University Crossing.
A native of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Fischer earned a B.S. in biology from the University of New Hampshire and an M.S. in nursing from UMass Chan. She sat down to talk about her new role with Health Services.
Q. Did you always want to pursue a career in health care?
A. I always wanted to do something where I could help people. I thought about working in a lab after my undergrad, but it wasn't going to be fulfilling because I couldn’t reach people as easily. So, I decided to go to nursing school and become a nurse practitioner. I like the philosophy of being a nurse. You get that experience at the bedside with patients. So, health care was always on my radar.
Q. What drew you to the position at UML?
A. I've been working as a nurse practitioner for 15 years, and I wanted to get into more of a leadership role and reach other parts of the community. This job checked all the boxes because I could continue my patient care role with students while also expanding my skill set as a leader.
Q. How have you spent your first few months on the job?
A. One of my goals is to collaborate with other departments to see how we can best meet the needs of students, so I’ve been meeting with departments such as the International Students & Scholars Office, Residence Life and the (Solomont) School of Nursing. I’ve been getting to know my colleagues in Student Affairs, Campus Recreation and within the Wellness Center. I’ve done some talks with student-athletes and participated in family orientations. And I’ve been getting input and feedback from staff, because there are a lot of things that we do really well, and there are some areas that we all want to improve on.
Q. What type of challenges do you face?
A. The major challenge for me is learning higher ed. I have the clinical knowledge, and that's one piece of my role, but the other piece is understanding higher ed and learning how to work together with other folks in the university to really improve the experience for students. But I love learning; I'm always asking questions. So, it’s an exciting challenge for me.
Q. What should students know about Health Services, particularly if this is their first year on campus?
A. Everyone at the university has the same goal: We want to help students succeed. In Health Services, we want to do whatever we can to help them get through their courses and feel their best. Coming to college and starting a new chapter in your life is challenging. You might not be sleeping great, or you might get sick for the first time away from home. But we have really caring and compassionate staff who will provide students with any resources that we have. One of the things I can already sense about UML is that this is a caring community.