Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Grushkowsky.
Hi Hannah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Nursing became my desired career path after experiencing the caregiver role firsthand with my mother who had terminal cancer. She was 58 years old and never had a colonoscopy. She died three months later of stage 4 colon cancer. While she was ill, I ensured that she had physical therapy, that books were read to her, and that she maintained her positive attitude. My mother was, in fact, my very first nursing patient. However, that experience alone was not the only force driving me into the healthcare profession. Maria, my mother’s main nurse, an individual who would always walk into the room with a smile and treated my mother with compassion, was another factor in my pursuit to become a nurse. Maria was exemplary; she was reliable, informative, supportive, and intuitive—a true inspiration. The loss of my mother, while devastating, helped me realize the values she instilled in me such as diligence, honesty, integrity, dedication, and responsibility will live on through me and are important qualities to become a great nurse. Additionally, problem-solving skills, ability to remain calm in stressful situations, quick adaptation to change, attentiveness, and continued thirst for knowledge will naturally fit the nursing role.
I was so excited to start my nursing career. I learned the theories of nursing and loved how nursing goes beyond its namesake with the diverse roles as educators, clinicians, advocates, or counselors, while also providing the essential nursing care. I was going to keep Maria in my mind and pay attention to the small details. Most importantly, I thought a great nurse is one who is always proactive. By doing so, nurses can make a positive difference in patients’ lives every day, and that alone is truly rewarding. Thus, I have come to realize how short and precious life is and how many people I can affect in a positive way as a nurse.
I received my Master’s degree in nursing from UCLA. I tend to be a person the is fueled by momentum and the need to do multiple things at once. I was the volunteer coordinator for UCLA Graduate School of Nursing, worked part-time as a soccer coach and private tutor, and conducted research in partnership with one of my professors to study the importance of calcium supplementation in adolescence. Our work was subsequently published in The Journal of Sports Medicine.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My drive to become a nurse was crushed when I actually started my career as an acute care bedside registered nurse in a hospital. I realized that our medical system was designed to keep people in it with little emphasis on preventative care. I, unfortunately, experienced “nurse hazing” my first year as a nurse. I worked night shift, had little help, and was given some of the toughest work assignments. When they say nurses eat their young, it’s true. I made sure that when I was a preceptor that I would support the future nurses and teach them that nurses don’t need to eat their young and could be supportive and help teach the new wave of nurses. Being a nurse is hard as it is, especially when you are new and trying to figure things out.
My day was scheduled around giving medications to the patients on time. I would come home drained after a 12 hour shift. I would take a shower when I got home after I left my shoes in the car and clothes in a bag not wanting to bring sickness home. I imagined the water cleansing me of the day so I could be present with my family and not take work home with me, I was burned out and didn’t see myself staying at the bedside for long. I enrolled in getting my doctorate degree in nursing as a nurse practitioner at the University of San Diego with two specialties- Adult-Gerontology and Family Practice. I commuted from Los Angeles for three years (a lot of driving and a lot of traffic), worked part-time as a RN in a hospital, and conducted evidence-based practice (remember me doing several things for momentum?). During that time I was pregnant with my first child and also was breastfeeding. My thirst for education had to be balanced with my new role as a mother. I didn’t realize breastfeeding was so challenging. I tried to breastfeed my daughter everyday for one month until she finally latched. I was determined and didn’t want to give up. I had even driven back to LA several times at night to ensure that my daughter had enough milk and left again at 4am the next day to beat traffic and attend my classes. My daughter was born during finals week in December. I remember taking all my make-up finals one day at San Diego while being sleep-deprived and pumping milk throughout the finals to ensure I had enough breastmilk. I was able to complete the evidence-based practice study on the prevention of functional decline in hospitalized geriatric patients through mobility and graduated with honors from University of San Diego with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP), the highest level of advanced practice nursing degree. I became nationally dual-board certified in Adult-Gerontology and Family Practice by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). I couldn’t have accomplished this without my sister-in-law who was a nanny for my daughter. It does bother me that I wasn’t there for my daughter as much as I wanted to be her first year of life. My thought process was I wanted to complete my studying before age 30 and before I had more children. Most importantly, I wanted to be there when she had the ability to remember. My sister in law was always more than willing to help with whatever I needed. My husband was also very supportive of my learning, although he didn’t see me much those three years. I do think I had some postpartum blues, but I was too busy to even pay attention to it.
After my son was born (second child) I had post-partum depression and did whatever it took to pull myself out of it. I really wanted to avoid taking medication especially while breastfeeding and made it a last resort. What actually helped me was connecting more spiritually with theta healing and spending more time in nature. Most importantly, I have a deep respect for my husband who picked up the slack with our children and supported me since day 1 of nursing school. The love for my husband changed when we had children-it grew immensely to see how he stepped into a father role while working and taking care of me when I couldn’t be present.
After I pulled myself out of the depression, my experience with my daughter’s eczema and my husband having sepsis, I turned a corner to holistic medicine. That’s what truly helped them both. Although risky, with the support of my husband, I decided to start my own medical company. Prior to starting my own company, I looked back in my journal and I wrote down on paper that I want life balance, to feel fulfilled, have pride in my work, and offer the services that I truly feel help patients and their health. I had manifested my dream career.
Lastly, each time I hit a milestone in my life, like getting married or having children, I wish my mom could have been here. All she wanted was her daughters to succeed and to have grandchildren. I hope that she is looking down and is proud of me knowning her daughter received her doctorate degree and that she now has three grandchildren.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the Nurse Practitioner Director of a concierge medical company named Dr. Ozone. We are known for our individualized preventative medicine with an emphasis on specialized immunity boosting, health optimization, biohacking, and anti-aging treatments that you won’t receive in your traditional doctor’s office. Our focus is proactive care to keep our patients healthy and well. We are the only practice administering direct IV ozone in southern California, the most potent form of IV ozone.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Contact me via e-mail.
Pricing:
- Direct IV Ozone $200
- High Dose Direct IV Ozone $350
- Myer’s IV Drip $299
- IV Glutathione Booster $129
- Simple NAD IV Drip $399
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.doctor-ozone.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctor_ozone/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/601DrOzone/?view_public_for=110758650781132
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dr-ozone-tarzana?osq=dr+ozone
