New Director of Health Services joins ‘Caring Community’

05/08/2024

By Ed Brennen

For many students, one of the best things about going to college is experiencing a greater degree of independence. They learn to manage a schedule, control their finances, and make healthy choices.

They will most likely also learn how to take care of themselves when they are sick.

Sarah Fischer is about to begin her first full academic year as director of Health Services. Fischer, an experienced nurse practitioner who also served as an adjunct professor at the UMass Chan School of Medicine, 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 so 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

Fischer, a native of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in nursing from UMass Chan. She sat down to talk about her new role at Health Services.

Q. Have you always wanted to pursue a career in healthcare?

TO. 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 rewarding because I couldn’t reach out to 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 bedside experience with patients. So healthcare was always on my radar.

Q. What attracted you to the position at UML?

TO. I have worked as a nurse practitioner for 15 years and wanted to take on more of a leadership role and reach out to other parts of the community. This job fit the bill 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?

TO. One of my goals is to collaborate with other departments to see how we can better meet the needs of students, so I’ve been meeting with departments like the Office of International Students and Scholars, Residence Life, and the School of Nursing (Solomont). I’ve been getting to know my colleagues in Student Affairs, Campus Recreation, and within the Wellness Center. I’ve done some speaking engagements with student athletes and participated in family orientations. And I’ve been getting feedback and suggestions from staff, because there are a lot of things we do really well, and there are some areas we all want to improve on.

Q. What kind of challenges do you face?

TO. The biggest challenge for me is learning about higher education. I have a clinical background and that’s part of my role, but the other part is understanding higher education and learning how to work alongside other people at the university to really improve the student experience. 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, especially if this is their first year on campus?

TO. Everyone at the university has the same goal: we want to help students succeed. In Health Services, we want to do everything we can to help you get through your courses and feel your best. Coming to university and starting a new chapter in your life is challenging. You might not sleep well or get sick for the first time away from home. But we have really caring and compassionate staff who will provide students with all the resources we have. One of the things I can already sense about UML is that it is a supportive community.