Dr. O'Connor has over 10 years' experience in nursing administration experience as director of nursing at two medical teaching hospitals in Pittsburgh, PA.  She also has over 20 years' experience teaching in undergraduate and graduate programs and was coordinator of La Roche College's Graduate Program in Nursing Management from 1987 to 1993. In addition, Dr. O'Connor is a legal nurse consultant and, in addition to LNC practice and speaking widely on legal nursing topics, she developed and taught courses in legal nursing at La Roche College and the University of Pittsburgh's School of Nursing.

 Dr. O'Connor is an active faculty member at California University of Pennsylvania.  She was responsible for leading the faculty in developing the MSN program.  For the first 8 years of her tenure at the university, she was responsible for coordinating the BSN program at the program's off campus location in West Mifflin, as well as teaching many of the BSN courses and advising many of the students at that location. She serves on many campus committees and is the Secretary of the University-Wide Promotions Committee, and Chair of the APSCUF Legislative Committee at Cal U.