Carol Lokare, RN, NP
Registered Nurse & Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner · Content Reviewer
About Carol
Carol Lokare is a Registered Nurse and Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner with more than 45 years of hands-on clinical experience spanning acute care, progressive care, telemetry, community and homeless-population health, geriatric practice, nursing management, and school nursing. She reviews and edits every article published on MyNursingSchools to ensure the information nursing students rely on is clinically accurate, current, and practically useful.
Carol's career stretches from bedside nursing in the early 1980s through adult/geriatric nurse practitioner work, a decade in California medical/surgical nursing, a nurse manager role, school nursing at both elementary and high school levels, and frontline care at a nonprofit medical respite facility for the homeless — before returning to acute care at Abrazo Arrowhead Hospital, where she continues today as a Staff and Charge Nurse. That breadth gives her an unusually complete view of how nursing education connects to real clinical work.
Education
- Associate of Arts in Nursing
Phoenix College · Phoenix, AZ · 1980 - Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Program
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center · 1984 - Bachelor of Science in Political Science
Arizona State University · 1988
Clinical Background
A condensed overview of Carol's nursing career, from first role to present:
- Staff Nurse / Charge Nurse2018 – PresentAbrazo Arrowhead Hospital · Glendale, AZ
Medical unit. Provides direct patient care and charge-nurse oversight on a busy medical floor.
- Staff Nurse2016Banner University Medical Center · Phoenix, AZ
Observation unit. Assessed Emergency Department patients to determine admission vs. discharge disposition.
- Clinical Referral Specialist2016Banner Health Transfer Services · Phoenix, AZ
Coordinated incoming and outgoing transfers for higher/lower levels of care across the Banner network. Assessed and triaged patients for appropriate placement, financial evaluation, and specialist referral.
- Staff Nurse2012 – 2015Circle the City · Maricopa County, AZ
501(c)(3) medical respite facility serving homeless adults and families. Provided wound care, medication administration, IV therapy, end-of-life care, and behavioral health support.
- Staff Nurse2009 – 2012Banner Boswell Medical Center — Progressive Care / Telemetry / Observation Unit · Sun City, AZ
Bedside nursing combined with clinical management duties including floor staffing, patient and staff relations, and physician communication. Primary preceptor and mentor for newly hired graduate nurses.
- School Nurse2006 – 2009Barry Goldwater High School · Phoenix, AZ
Health care for students in grades 9–12, staff education, student health education, acute care, vision and hearing screenings, immunization documentation.
- School Nurse2005 – 2006Sweetwater Elementary School · Glendale, AZ
Nursing care for students in grades K–8, including a high population of high-needs and physically challenged children. Vision and hearing tests, immunization documentation, health education, and acute care.
- Staff Nurse (Float Pool)2003 – 2004Thunderbird Hospital · Glendale, AZ
Floated to medical/surgical, oncology, emergency, and pediatrics units.
- Nurse Manager2000 – 2003Community Hospital of Los Gatos — Medical/Surgical Unit · Los Gatos, CA
Recruitment and retention of nursing staff, budgeting, staff education, scheduling, annual performance reviews, and patient satisfaction initiatives.
- Staff Nurse1989 – 1999Community Hospital of Los Gatos — Medical/Surgical Unit · Los Gatos, CA
Ten years of direct patient care on a medical/surgical unit.
- Staff Nurse1987 – 1988Chandler Regional Hospital — Medical Unit · Chandler, AZ
- Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner1986 – 1987Good Samaritan Hospital · Phoenix, AZ
Outpatient setting. Research, community health, and a focus on supporting elderly patients in maintaining independence at home.
- Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner1984 – 1986Patient Care Clinic · Sun City, AZ
Care and treatment of a primarily geriatric population; management of ancillary staff; nursing home rounds and home visits.
- Staff Nurse1981 – 1983Boswell Memorial Hospital — Medical Unit · Sun City, AZ
How Carol Reviews Our Content
Every article on MyNursingSchools is written with AI assistance and then reviewed by Carol before publication. Her review covers:
- Clinical accuracy — Verifying that descriptions of nursing roles, procedures, and care settings reflect real practice at the bedside.
- Education pathway accuracy — Confirming that program descriptions, degree progression, and licensing requirements are correct and current.
- Practical relevance — Ensuring advice is grounded in how nursing actually works, not just how it is described on paper.
- Source verification — Checking that factual claims align with primary sources such as NCSBN, BLS, and state boards of nursing.
Areas of Expertise
Read nursing program guides reviewed by Carol: