Neura members can now book video appointments with Colleen Schulte, MSN, APN, FNP-BC.

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At Neura Health, we’re excited to introduce Colleen Schulte, a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and epilepsy specialist with almost 2 decades of nursing experience. Her background includes emergency medicine, organ transplant, and nursing administration, and she earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain University in 2020. She is committed to delivering compassionate, patient-centered neurological care, ensuring each person feels heard, supported, and empowered throughout their health journey.

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Video Transcript:

Hi, my name is Colleen Schulte. I'm a nurse practitioner with Neura Health, and I work on the epilepsy team. I was born and raised in New Jersey. I'm a Jersey girl living now in West Virginia. I have two kids: a 7-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son. And then I also have my fur child, who is my horse named Clover, who we always joke is like the favorite child. 

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What is your professional background?

I have been a nurse for 18 years, which sounds crazy to say. I've been a nurse practitioner for five years, and I've done a lot of different things in that time. How I got to neurology was, you know, in my opinion, the brain is the most interesting organ in the body. It just really influences who we are and how we operate, and I'm interested in fixing anything wrong with it. 

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What is your special interest in your specific field?

I would say epilepsy stands out because it is a little bit more challenging than some of the other neurologic conditions, and I do enjoy a challenge. But beyond that, I feel like I'm making a big difference because people who are diagnosed with epilepsy or who are newly diagnosed with epilepsy, it's a really life-changing condition. It's scary for the patient and the family. And I get a lot of satisfaction out of being able to help them get back to their normal lives. 

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How do you define empathy and compassion in healthcare?

Empathy to me is listening to a patient and really truly listening and understanding that they're a person at the end of the day, and there's more than what goes into them than their diagnosis. And we need to take all of that into consideration and truly treat them as if they were a member of my family or me. 

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How would you describe your approach to treating patients with epilepsy?

I think above all else, patients need to be able to feel comfortable with their provider and confident in the plan that we come up with. And I say we because I definitely believe that I should be working with the patient as a team, because ultimately, if the patient is not comfortable with whatever plan I come up with, it's not going to work for them. So I want to hang up knowing that they feel like we're doing what's in their best interests. So important to get patients with epilepsy back to living their normal lives. 

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What does patient-first care mean to you?

Patient first care to me is understanding that patients live full lives outside of these visits. And especially in neurology and epilepsy specifically, these conditions can affect them tremendously in their work, driving, and interpersonal relationships. 

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It's very important to take all of that into consideration when I'm coming up with a treatment plan. And it's not just about stopping seizures, it's about stopping seizures and letting patients have their quality of life and confidence that they can live as normal a life as possible. Because again, epilepsy is such a scary and life-altering diagnosis. 

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What's something patients are often surprised by when they have their first appointment with you?

I would say how much time and detail is spent. I have had a lot of patients say, well, my previous provider never told me about all of this. I'm really giving them a comprehensive look at what it means to have epilepsy and seizures. Very detailed conversation about the plan and making sure that they're comfortable with it. And again, just getting into

everything about their life, like their lifestyle, their family situation, because those are all important things to go over when you're coming up with a treatment plan. 

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What would you want someone living with epilepsy to know before booking their first visit with you at Neura?

I would say that it's okay to be scared. It's okay to not have all of the answers, but we're going to figure it out together. And even if it takes a couple of visits, we are going to figure out what is going to be best for you and what's going to give you your life back. 

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Why would you recommend telehealth?

I think post-COVID we're living in a totally different world. A lot of people are working from home, and our lives are just busy and chaotic. So a lot of people, myself included, don't have time to run to doctor's appointments and take off of work and spend time away from their kids. So, telehealth is very convenient. You can talk to me while you're sitting on your couch. You can talk to me after your kids go to bed. And it's just a really great way to have more access to healthcare. 

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