‘Carol Berger, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, MSN, BA has been a Family Practice Nurse Practitioner since 2009. She has worked in the acute care environment for 12 years and in a rural health clinic in Missouri for 7 years. She has taught at the master’s level in nursing school since 2017. Courses she has taught include advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, health promotions and leadership. Her dissertation involved Instituting an Oral Health Preventive Service Program, including Fluoride Varnish for Preschool Children Birth to Five Years in a Rural Health clinic. She has been published twice in The Nurse Practitioner: Berger,C., Tokac, U., Fish, A.F., Dane,J.N. (2020) Implementation Science: Changing practice in oral health: 45 (7);27-34 and Berger,C., Bachman, J., Casalone, G.G., Farberman, S., Fish, A. ( 2014) An Oral Health Program for children: 39(2) 48-53. Most recently she has made a documentary Rural Children in Crisis: Access to Missouri Oral Care with the help of Scott Angus, Lilli Kayes and Carl Leta in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Oral Health. She has been published in the UMSL magazine and Maryville Magazine as well as made an appearance on the podcast ST. Louis NPR to bring to light dental care disparities in rural Missouri and advocate that medical care providers need to partner with dental health to make a difference in a child’s smile. She has also instituted the Healthy Smiles curriculum into the Maryville nurse practitioner program educating hundreds of students and soon to be nurse practitioners about this important subject.’ – excerpt from her Missouri Coalition for Oral Health Award
Education
She holds a Doctor of Nursing (DNP) from University of Missouri- St. Louis since 2012
She has been a Family Nurse Practitioner since 2009 from University of Missouri- St. Louis
Professor
She has taught at the graduate level the following courses:
Advanced pathophysiology
Advanced pharmacology
Advanced Health Assessment
Various clinical courses in the NP program
Experience
10 + years in acute care ( Acute and post acute issues )
7 years in rural health ( birth to old age)
Publications
Dissertation:
Instituting an Oral Health Program into a Rural Health Clinic for children Birth to Five Years, UMSL, 2012
An Oral Health Program for Children
Berger, Carol; Bachman, Jean; Casalone, Gregory G.; The Nurse Practitioner. 39(2):48-53, February 15th, 2014.
Caries, the most infectious chronic disease of childhood in America, leads to health, learning, and quality-of-life issues. Using the Missouri Preventive Service Program model, a pilot oral health program for children from ages birth to 5 years in a rural health clinic was the first to implement the application of fluoride varnish.
Implementation science: Changing Practice in Oral Health
C Berger, U Tokac, AF Fish, JN Dane – The Nurse Practitioner, 2020 – journals.lww.com
Caries remain the most common preventable chronic childhood disease. One state oral
health program including fluoride varnish showed a decrease in presence of decay and
improvement in overall oral health; however, early childhood caries did not improve.
Implementation of an oral health preventive program during well-child medical visits may
address this gap.
Managing Managed Care
Berger,C. & Kendrig, S. (2010). APRN Handbook 3rd edition: Missouri Nurses Association St. Louis, MONA, p 241.
Documentary : Rural Children in Crisis: Access to Missouri Oral Care
Berger,Carol, A, Angus, Scott, Kayes, Lilli, Leta, Carl (2020) in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Oral Health
STLPR (NPR) 7/13/2021 ‘Rural Children In Crisis’ Brings Light To Dental Care Disparities In Rural Missouri | STLPR (stlpublicradio.org)