In today's episode, I wanted to do things a little bit differently. I've asked my friend and colleague, Joan, to interview me. I wanted to give you an opportunity to learn more about my story, the experiences that shaped my career, and my passion for making healthcare knowledge more approachable. If you'd like to get to know me better, this episode is a great start. You can also check out the show notes from today's episode on Substack, my UCSF health profile, or my Instagram and TikTok.
I feel that I've lived several lives already, and I'm only in my mid-40s. I've been and am a mom to four now grown-up kids, a barista, a manager at a pizza restaurant.
But my healthcare career started when I was curious about a mother's experience and my own experience around childbirth. I became a doula, a certified childbirth educator, and a birth assistant for licensed midwives.
I was accepted into the nursing program at the University of North Florida and worked at St. Vincent's Riverside as a medical surgical nurse.
I went straight into graduate school at the University of Florida and exited with my master's degree and my certification as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner.
I was faculty at the University of North Florida in the School of Nursing, and I also worked with the Tony Boselli Foundation's Healthy Schools Program and as a nursing supervisor at both St. Vincent's Riverside and Baptist Beaches Hospitals.
I then went on to earn my doctorate in nursing practice at the University of North Florida and my certification as a family nurse practitioner. I was then an inpatient cardiology and electrophysiology nurse practitioner at St. Vincent's Riverside before I accepted a position as both an inpatient and outpatient electrophysiology nurse practitioner at Marin Health, which was the impetus for moving from coast to coast to the San Francisco Bay Area.
I then was offered a position at UCSF Health as an outpatient electrophysiology nurse practitioner in the summer of 2022.
If you have any questions about my path, or if I can help you on your journey, or you have any ideas for upcoming episodes, please leave a comment on any of my social media platforms or Substack.
I hope you enjoy today's episode and getting to know me and it helps you see why I feel strongly about access to care and understandable healthcare information for everyone.
Follow along with show notes below-Links in italics for easy identification.
Please share this episode, rate the podcast, and/or leave a comment!
Dr. Nadja Wlasiuk: https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/nadine-wlasiuk
5:18: My баба or Бабуся Lidya Litwinko Wlasiuk (The most incredible human being I’ve ever known) pictured here on her 91st birthday.
6:08: Hypertensive Crisis Khan Academy Video
7:32: My mentor that says “Dude!” The one and only Dr. Julie Baker-Townsend.
7:50: My first Electrophysiology team at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside in Jacksonville, FL
8:07: Dr. Tony Magnano (or T$)
8:36: Atrial fibrillation
8:38: Warfarin: from rat poison to clinical use
8:53: Pacemaker
12:25:
12:48: Dr. William Ahrens
13:02: University of North Florida School of Nursing
Faculty that makes a difference:
Dr. Li Loriz
Dr. Kathy Bloom
Dr. Bill Ahrens
Dr. Cindy Cummings
Dr. Julie Baker-Townsend
Dr. Judy Comeaux
Dr. Doreen Radjenovic
Dr. Jan Meires
Dr. Cathy Hough
15:29: Anu
21:09: Why yes, that is me as Bilbo Baggins
21:42: Afib ablation
26:50: Take an ECG with your AppleWatch
27:18: Dr. Marco Perez
29:06:
Hosted by: Joan Byrnes, RN
Produced by: Nadja Wlasiuk, DNP, APRN
Always looking for great team mates or a producer that knows more than I do!
