PRESQUE ISLE – Jessica Gagnon, FNP, has joined the staff of Aroostook Pediatrics, a department of The Aroostook Medical Center.
Jessica Gagnon FNP
Gagnon, a native of Aroostook County, grew up on a strawberry farm in Van Buren. Gagnon, just like her parents and her five siblings, completed her undergraduate education at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. After receiving her nursing degree, Jessica worked as a nurse for five years in the Special Care Unit at The Aroostook Medical Center’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle.
Going back to school to become a family nurse practitioner was an easy decision for Gagnon. Three of her siblings had completed the family nurse practitioner program at the University of Maine, and she saw it as an opportunity to enhance her skills. “We were all working as nurses and then my brother Josh decided to investigate other opportunities and found out about the nurse practitioner program,” she Gagnon. “He convinced my older sister to pursue it, and they said it was a great program.”
After graduating from UMaine last spring, Gagnon accepted a position at Aroostook Pediatrics because she loves working with kids.
“I’m a people person, so I thought it would be a great opportunity for me,” she said. “Kids are funny, comical, insightful and they just make you laugh all the time. You never know what they are going to say. I have plenty of nieces and nephews that I just adore. I’ve been told I’ve been good with kids, so it was just an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”
Gagnon works with Dr. Ayala, Dr. Fournier, Dr. Morningstar and Dr. Pineiro in the Presque Isle office of Aroostook Pediatrics. The kid-friendly practice provides sports physicals, well-child and sick-child visits, immunizations and other pediatric services.
“The people that I work with are excellent,” added Gagnon. “ it’s just a friendly atmosphere.
“What I’m most passionate about is helping patients and families,” she said. “I provide a holistic approach when working with the patients. It’s not only about treating their symptoms, but about taking a broader approach. Most of my patients are very little, so it’s very important to me as a nurse practitioner to educate the parents.”
Gagnon said that there are moments each day that remind her why she is passionate about caring for children and families.
“I was doing a physical and looking at a little boy who was two years old, and he was a little bit nervous,” said Gagnon. “I finished my assessment, and he just wrapped his arms around me, put his head on my shoulder and gave me a big hug. Those are the moments that I love.”
Gagnon enjoys spending her free time with her husband Duane and family.
Gagnon is accepting new patients at Aroostook Pediatrics in Presque Isle. For more information, call 764-5437.
