Pat Oriet  

Pat Oriet graduated with a diploma in nursing in 1952 and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Montana State University in 1969. She then began working in MSU Student Health.  In 1972, students petitioned Student Health to provide health services for women, and Oriet helped create an education program that included information on birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. At this time, Student Health began providing physical exams to women who requested it and gave birth control to women without getting parental consent, which was groundbreaking at that time. In 1974, the women’s health program expanded, and Oriet went to classrooms, dorms and fraternities giving sessions to women and men. She earned her Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate in Denver in 1985. She left MSU in 1987 to work in Bozeman for OB/GYN.  She worked there for 26 years as a nurse practitioner. During this time, she made numerous presentations about women’s health to clubs, churches and other community groups as well as starting a mammogram program at the hospital. She has served on the MSU College of Nursing Advisory Board and continues to serve on the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho (WWAMI) Medical Education Advisory Board.  

Pat Oriet is sharp as a tack and continues to blow me away by her level of expertise in her field, her varying experiences and her enthusiasm to continue serving our students in any capacity.