COMPASSION & CARE
Becoming A Wound Care Expert :
Thelma Diaz ’ s Journey Is One Of Compassion And Perseverance
The moment that Thelma Diaz graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing , she knew she wanted to continue down the path of becoming a nurse practitioner . Unfortunately , back in 1992 , there wasn ’ t a single nurse practitioner program in El Paso , Texas . Not willing to let a small roadblock stop her from her dreams , Diaz found out that she could get licensed through public health clinics in Dallas .
With this goal in mind , she set out to ensure she met all the program requirements and positioned herself as a competitive candidate when applying . “ You needed to have either one year in an intensive care unit ( ICU ) or two years in medical surgery ,” she recalled . “ I opted for ICU .” She was able to find a role at the Sierra Hospital — now the Hospitals of Providence , Sierra Campus — working nights .
Once her one-year stint in the ICU was over , she applied for the nurse practitioner program and was placed in a role working for the County Health Department . Although it was a drop in pay , Diaz loved working in well-baby clinics in the area . “ We did vaccination clinics and prenatal care , and I loved it ,” she shared . After two years , the goal she ’ d set started to become a reality — Diaz was selected for a nurse practitioner education position and sent to Dallas to do five months of studying at UT Southwestern .
PIVOT AND PERSEVERE
By December of 1995 , Diaz completed the course along with the clinical requirements of working under a physician , and just over one year later , she started working as a nurse practitioner in the County Health Department . She finally felt that all of her hard work was paying off , but the overwhelming sense of joy didn ’ t last long . “ The sitting President ’ s administration decided to close all the prenatal clinics and vaccination clinics . There was nothing ,” she said .
Diaz was just one of seven nurse practitioners who were suddenly and unexpectedly unemployed . There were no more positions for them , and the clinics they loved so much ceased to exist . She ended up working at Planned Parenthood for a couple of years , then moved to the active-duty Fort Bliss clinic focusing on women ’ s health .
However , in early 2000 , she found herself out of a job yet again . Physicians in the area weren ’ t hiring nurse practitioners , and despite her strong resume , she found herself headed back to school . “ I entered an Adult Nurse Practitioner [ ANP ] program that was just getting started ,” she explained . “ I had my master ’ s already , and after about two years , I obtained my ANP credentialing .”
JUMPING TO WOUND CARE
As luck would have it , just after obtaining her ANP credentials , Diaz met Dr . Gregory Szeyko , an infectious disease doctor . Dr . Szeyko was struggling to find a nurse practitioner to help in his wound care practice . “ Wound care was an upand-coming practice at the time , and there weren ’ t too many specialists ,” Diaz explained . “ He had interviewed five NPs , and nobody was interested in wound care . They wanted to treat diabetes , hypertension , and other internal medicine [ issues ].”
Being a “ jack of all trades ” was never Diaz ’ s goal . She preferred to become an expert in a specific niche and do really well with that , so wound care was very appealing . Dr . Szeyko hired Diaz on the spot , and from then on , the pair was inseparable . “ He taught me everything you need to know about wound care ,” she said . Funny enough , when Diaz met Dr . Szeyko , he was just beginning to work with Barbara Davis , the founder of Quick Claimers Medical Billing Inc . as one of their first clients all those years ago .
For Diaz , wound care felt so natural , she knew she had found her niche . Within two years , she passed the exam to become a wound care specialist . For the next decade , she worked side-by-side with Dr . Szeyko , tackling every single case with him . “ I owe everything to that man ,” she stated . Unfortunately , in 2012 , Dr . Szeyko passed away , and Diaz started working with the El Paso Hospitalist Group .
CREATING SW COLLABORATIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS
For a while , Diaz worked as a wound care consultant for the Hospitalist Group , treating patients who came into the hospital . But that group dissolved and changed , and Diaz found herself out of a
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