Al Braun, Nurse Practitioner
Al Braun, Nurse Practitioner, is a graduate of Clayton State University with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing, and University of South Alabama with a Masters of Science in Nursing, as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Al was born and raised here in Hawai’i. He began his career in the U.S. Navy. He went on to become a firefighter/paramedic, and, after completing his BSN, worked as a registered nurse in the emergency room of an Atlanta trauma center. Upon returning to Hawai’i, Al worked at Hilo Medical Center in the emergency department until he was recruited by Hawai’i Life Flight. Al worked as a flight nurse on both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters while obtaining his Masters in Nursing. Prior to joining the Big Island Pain Center team, Al worked for two years in family practice here in Hilo, Hawai’i. As a disabled veteran, Al is intimately familiar with chronic pain. This drove him to seek a position that would allow him to help others who also suffer from chronic pain. Al’s primary focus in chronic pain treatment is maximizing function and overcoming disability by promoting combinations of therapies.
Al lives in Hilo, Hawai’i. In addition to practicing full time as a Pain Management Nurse Practitioner, Al also owns and operates Hawaiian Shaving Company. Al enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, surfing, paddling, tai chi and archery.
Brenda Orcutt, APRN
Brenda Orcutt is a board certified family nurse practitioner who completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at University of Hawaii at the Hilo campus. Her focus was on improving early screening and detection of anorexia and bulimia by developing a structured guideline for the primary care provider.
Brenda has been instrumental in the Hilo community, including developing and establishing a hospital crib card into the Hilo Medical Center nursery.
Being a nurse practitioner allows Brenda the opportunity to directly influence others’ lives. Her long-term professional goal is to continue to positively impact patients by primarily focusing on the holistic aspect of personal care, which provides respect and responsiveness to individual patient preferences, needs, and values to guide clinical decisions and management of care. She takes into consideration the variability of patient differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs in the coordination of continuous care focused upon relieving pain.
Brenda is very excited to be part of Big Island Pain Clinic and is proud to work with such a fantastic team of professionals.
