Onset resident Dr. Mimi Secor was recognized as one of the top ten nurse practitioners in the country this year by the Point of Care Network.

Secor is also a published author, a national speaker and an award-winning bodybuilder who made her “debut at 62” during the Battle of the Godz in Rhode Island.

The Point of Care Network is the largest community of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in America, designed to connect healthcare professionals and provide them with peer-reviewed resources. 

Secor’s recognition in 2018 is the direct result of nominations put forward by her peers and one of many accolades she’s received in 42 years of nursing.

On Nov.3, Secor was inducted to the American Academy of Nursing as a fellow for her contributions to the field of women’s health.

Among the estimated 2.86 million nurses working in the United States, there are only 2,500 fellows in the American Academy of Nursing. The professional organization generates and disseminates nursing knowledge to influence how health policy and practice is implemented across the country.

In 2013, Secor received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and in 2015 she received a Student Service Award from Rocky Mountain University in Provo, Utah.

“My mom always told me I was born entrepreneur,” Secor said. “And I guess she was right.”

Secor’s journey to success has been a long and unconventional one, fueled by a single desire: To make a difference in the lives of others.

A graduate of UMass Amherst, Secor operated her own independent practice in Cambridge for 12 years. It was the first independent nurse practitioner’s practice in the state.

Secor would go on to spearhead the creation of the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, a group designed to advance state practices and care delivery through leadership, education and advocacy.

Secor would later return to school at the age of 59 for her doctorate. 

The decision led to a decline in health, with Secor too stressed and busy to focus on her own personal care.

“I wasn’t taking care of myself at all,” she said. “I was anxious, I couldn’t sleep and I was gaining weight. I knew something had to change, but I didn’t know what.”

With the help of her daughter, Kat, Secor said she turned to fitness. 

The decision transformed into a two-and-a-half-year journey, ultimately earning Secor a fifth place finish in her first bodybuilding show, Battle of the Godz.

Secor’s fight to regain control of her body also lead to fundamental shift in the way she viewed nursing.

“Medical professionals give their patients advice all the time that they themselves don’t follow,” Secor said. “If we want people to be healthy, then we need to become authentic role models ourselves.”

Secor and her daughter now run their own business at www.CoachKatandDrMimi.com, helping busy and stressed out healthcare professionals learn how to take care of themselves.

When Secor isn’t coaching, she travels the country helping future nurse practitioners prepare to take their national boards. 

“All I want to do is make a difference,” Secor said. 

For more information on Secor, visit her website at www.mimisecor.com.