Pat O’Connor has been with the Nash, Edgecombe, and Wilson County Children’s Advocacy Center (Jo Ann’s Place) since its opening in 2019. A pediatric nurse practitioner with specialized training in child maltreatment, Pat conducts Child Medical Examinations (CME) at the request of social service and law enforcement partners. He is rostered with North Carolina’s Child Medical Evaluation Program (CMEP) and holds active licenses in the state as a registered nurse (RN) and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Pat is also nationally board certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner (CPNP).

Before his nursing career, Pat served 24 years of combined military service in the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, retiring as a Master Sergeant. His notable deployments include serving as a peacekeeper in Sinai, Egypt, with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, and a combat deployment to Afghanistan as part of the Training Assistance Group (TAG) 2 and Embedded Training Team (ETT) 2 with the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. During these deployments, Pat was deeply affected by the number of sick, injured, and maltreated children he encountered—an experience that inspired his dedication to pediatric nursing.

Pat earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His clinical background includes working as an emergency room nurse at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and providing procedural assistance, sedation, and recovery support at the West Los Angeles Veterans Medical Center, where he collaborated with cardiology, pulmonology, and gastroenterology teams.

Outside of work, Pat enjoys spending time with his family, hiking with his German Shepherd, Fiona, and practicing shooting and Pilates. He is also a lifelong practitioner of Shotokan karate.