Meet Dr. Heather J. Smith, DNP, APN, NP-C

Dr. Smith, a doctoral prepared Family Nurse Practitioner, serves as a pain management specialist in the Grand Valley of Grand Junction, Colorado.  Offering multiple paths to treating pain effectively and responsibly, her responsibilities include assessing, examining, and determining the best course of treatment for each individual.  Heather achieved her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in December 2008.  She worked in acute care, rehabilitation, emergency medicine, pain management, and post-surgical care.  She managed the anti-coagulation clinic at a small rural hospital for 6 months before moving to oncology, where she worked for 5 years before going into hospice care for 3 years.  Hospice care included a large degree of pain management, and that is where her passion for pain management grew.  In December 2014, she graduated with her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Colorado Mesa University.  She then went on to obtain her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the same educational institution in 2017.  She went on to practice as a Nurse Practitioner at two different pain management clinics in the Grand Valley between July 2018 and March 2022 before opening River's Edge Pain Specialists.  She loves the outdoors and spending time with family.  She and her husband, Steve, and their five children and four grandchildren enjoy camping, fishing, hiking and spending time together outdoors on the summer weekends.  During colder weather, the family still takes advantage of the wonderful amenities the Grand Valley offers, including skiing and snowboarding at near-by Powderhorn Resort.