Hegarty has worked as a staff nurse at Mayo since 1997, in the Medical/Surgical Unit, Emergency Department and ICU. She earned her Master's degree in nursing last year from the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Maine.

Nurse practitioners are experienced registered nurses who have advanced education and clinical training. Hegarty treats adults for routine physical examinations, immunizations and common health problems, and prescribes or recommends prescriptions for medications.

Hegarty also has a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art/Art History from Douglass College in New Brunswick, N.J. She was a Social Worker for 15 years in New Jersey and Philadelphia before making the career change to nursing and moving to Maine. She lives in Sangerville.