CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Hinton News) — Delegate Heather Tully, R-Nicholas, has been honored by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as the 2022 recipient of its State Advocate Award for Excellence in West Virginia.
Tully, who has a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as well as certification as an Advance Practice Registered Nurse and Certified Nurse Practitioner, works as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Camden Family Health, serving Nicholas, Webster, Lewis and Fayette Counties.
The prestigious AANP State Award for Excellence is given each year to health care professionals across the nation who are nominated for it by their colleagues.
Tully said her goal as a lawmaker is to “work toward policy and legislation that improves the clinical practice environment for all patients and nurses in our state, to improve the education system for our children and to advance my home county and the state of West Virginia as much as possible to ensure a bright future for generations to come.”
Tully’s healthcare experience started immediately after she graduated cum laude from the University of Charleston with a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing. She worked in high acuity intensive care units of a large, academic medical center and spent the first six years of her nursing career working in the Medical-Surgical ICU, now known as the Surgical-Trauma Intensive Care Unit; the next seven years were spent between the Medical Intensive Care Unit and Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit.
While Tully waited for acceptance into graduate school, she expanded her skillset by graduating from New River Community & Technical College with a Certificate in Technical Studies – Medical Billing and Coding and immediately following her graduation from NRCTC Tully was accepted into the Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner program at West Virginia University. Upon graduation, she became a dual board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner, and Tully holds certifications as an FNP both from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Tully has served in the West Virginia House of Delegates since June 2020, representing District 41, which includes parts of Greenbrier and Nicholas counties. She serves on the House Education Committee, the House Health and Human Resources Committee, the House Infrastructure & Technology Committee and the House Political Subdivisions Committee as well as the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health & Human Resources Accountability.
Tully also is a member of the American Nurses’ Association, the West Virginia Nurses’ Association and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses in addition to her involvement in many local community organizations, including the Nicholas County Republican Executive Committee, Nicholas County Community Foundation Board of Directors and the Grand Order of the Royal Leprechauns, the latter two providing local scholarship and civic fundraising.
“I enjoy being heavily involved in all these organizations not only because they’re so good for my home county, but because they help me stay connected to the community while strengthening my advocacy skills,” she said.
Tully was recognized for the award June 24 as part of the AANP National Conference.
