Connor Simmons, RN

A Career Built Through Direct Client Care

Connor’s path to nursing began with the everyday work of supporting people in treatment.

As a mental health worker and behavioral health technician, he spent time alongside clients as they adjusted to a new environment, participated in programming, and worked through the challenges of early recovery. That experience helped him understand the responsibilities of the people involved in each client’s stay.

His background across treatment operations also gave him a working understanding of how behavioral health technicians, nurses, therapists, case managers, and medical providers contribute to care.

Today, he draws on that perspective when leading the nursing department. Staff training, communication, policies, and procedures all influence what a client experiences. Connor approaches those responsibilities with an understanding of how decisions affect both the team providing care and the person receiving it.

Nursing Support During Detox and Residential Treatment

Connor oversees nursing care across The Retreat South Coast’s detox and residential programs, leading a team that provides licensed nursing coverage around the clock.

Nursing responsibilities include monitoring clients, administering medications as ordered, completing withdrawal assessments when appropriate, and communicating relevant information to medical providers.

Connor stays closely involved with each client’s medical history, medications, current concerns, and progress. Understanding a medication means knowing more than its name. Its dosage, purpose, and place in the person’s overall care also matter.

That attention continues as clients move through treatment. Someone’s needs during the first days of detox may differ from what they need later in residential care. Nursing helps keep those changes visible to the rest of the team.

Making Room for Questions and Concerns

The medical side of treatment can feel unfamiliar, particularly for someone entering detox for the first time.

Clients may have concerns about withdrawal, anxiety, sleep, appetite, existing health conditions, or how they will feel while adjusting to treatment. Others may have had previous experiences that make it difficult to trust a new care team.

Connor emphasizes listening and helping people understand what is happening. He wants clients to feel comfortable describing their symptoms, asking about medications, and sharing concerns rather than keeping them to themselves.

His message to someone who feels nervous about beginning treatment is direct:

For Connor, reassurance is connected to the work of the nursing department: being available, paying attention, and following through when someone needs support.

Keeping Physical Health Connected to Recovery

A client’s physical health remains part of treatment after the initial withdrawal period.

Sleep, appetite, medication needs, and other health concerns can affect how someone feels and participates in the program. Nursing observations help the broader treatment team understand those changes.

Connor values communication between departments so that medical concerns remain connected to therapy, case management, and the rest of a client’s care. His experience in several treatment roles helps him recognize why each perspective matters.

He brings that belief to nursing leadership while recognizing that each discipline contributes to a shared treatment plan.

Nursing Education and Clinical Training

Connor became a registered nurse in 2025 and is continuing his education through the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at California State University, San Bernardino.

His nursing education included clinical rotations across medical, psychiatric, emergency, and community healthcare settings:

• Medical-surgical nursing: MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center and Fountain Valley Regional Hospital.
• Advanced medical-surgical nursing and emergency medicine: Kaiser Permanente Irvine.
• Maternal-newborn care: UCI Medical Center.
• Pediatric nursing: Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
• Psychiatric nursing: College Hospital Cerritos.
• Public health: Training through Rio Hondo College.

These experiences exposed him to patients with different health needs and to the communication required across healthcare teams. He brings that training to the behavioral health field where his career began.

Recognizing Progress Throughout Treatment

One of the most rewarding parts of Connor’s work is seeing how clients change between admission and graduation.

He notices the physical signs of progress: someone sleeping better, appearing stronger, becoming more engaged, or feeling ready to take the next step in recovery.

He also values the work behind those changes, including addressing medications, attending to ongoing health needs, and helping clients feel more comfortable in treatment.

Nursing contributes to that progress alongside the other members of the treatment team. For Connor, seeing a client leave in a healthier condition gives meaning to the daily attention that care requires.