We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stacy Welker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stacy below.

Stacy, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I was called to the emergency department in the middle of the night to consult on patient that needed to be taken emergently to the operating room. The patient was critically ill, septic and needed a laparotomy for a bowel perforation. I had seen this many times in my years as a Nurse Practitioner & general surgery first assistant, but this time it was different for me. I walked out of the patient’s room and started questioning what was happening in the outpatient world that such drastic measures needed to take place to save this life. I started to wonder why most of the problems I saw on a daily basis were not being intervened sooner. What happened to preventative medicine? Why was extensive surgery or surgery at all happening so frequently? Why were so many patients coming in with multiple chronic diseases that were not being well managed? I was seeing a huge gap in the conventional medical model and I was burned out and losing my passion for medicine. I felt like we were the “fixers” running from one surgical emergency to another as though we were putting corks in the dam. I started doing research on preventative medicine and was introduced to Functional Medicine. I quickly became fascinated with looking at the root cause of disease. I immediately enrolled with The School of Applied Functional Medicine and was blown away, no longer looking at the body as a constellation of systems, but how all systems in the body work together and are interconnected. Understanding the underlying driver of chronic disease became my passion. During this time period I was starting to experience my own health problems, I had insomnia and my anxiety was on hyperdrive. I was only sleeping 2-3 hours per night and working full time in a highly stressful environment. I started using what I had learned in functional medicine on myself and immediately saw change. I knew this was my future. I no longer wanted to live to work. I wanted to see my family and enjoy my life while still helping others. I wanted to love medicine and patient care again. I decided to open my own Functional Medicine Clinic, Alaya Health and Wellness. Over the past year and a half I have worked with patients to reverse type 2 diabetes, improved gut function, boost the immune system, balanced hormone disorders, and put autoimmune disease where it belongs — in remission. One of the biggest surprises to me as I started doing functional medicine was the lack of education the patients had about their personal health — how the foods they ate, the toxins they are surrounded by, lack of sleep, and stress, actually created the symptoms and disease dynamics they were suffering with. As my patient’s became more educated they were empowered and started to take their health back. I started to love medicine again and finally feel like I am part of the solution to prevent chronic disease.

Stacy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner. I started my career as an emergency nurse in both Level 1 & Level 2 trauma Centers, where I was a trauma nurse and charge nurse. When I graduated from Nurse Practitioner school I joined an Emergency Physician group in a level 2 trauma center. I loved emergency medicine but had a true passion for trauma care. I was offered a job with a general surgery physician group as a Nurse Practitioner Surgical First Assistant. We covered all general, acute care and trauma surgery for a level 2 trauma center. My vast background in emergency and surgical care sets me apart from other Functional Medicine practitioners. I have worked very hard in my career to be at the top of my game and learn as much as I possibly can to provide the best patient care, in any area I have worked. My background has helped me in my own practice because I can recognize things that can be solved in the outpatient world and those that need to be seen in an acute care setting. My general surgery background has influenced my functional medicine practice because I have a deep understanding of how the body works. I am passionate about educating patient’s on how daily life choices influence their health and either promotes well-ness or ill-ness.

Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?

I started my business as a part time practice while I was still working full time in general surgery. Initially I didn’t advertise or promote my business but gained patients by word of mouth. After about 6 months I had enough patients to step away from my full time position and focus on my clinic. I funded my clinic with my savings and kept my overhead low putting all earning back into the business. I rented 1 treatment room and small office in my friends aesthetic clinic which helped keep my start up cost low. Which is where I still currently practice. I have really focused on what was absolutely necessary to treat patients and not luxuries that I would like to have. After 9 months I was finally profitable and paying myself a monthly wage. At my 1 year mark I realized I needed to focus on marketing and advertising which is not my strong suit. I hired marketing company which help recognize my target audience and started getting ads out there. This was definitely worth it! I could focus on treating patients and they could help promote my business on the back end.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

This is a question I have wrestled with for years! For many years, my answer would have been no but now, I think so. When I first started college after high school I dreamed of going to medical school to become a Cardiothoracic surgeon but life took a detour. I got married and had 3 beautiful children which are my greatest accomplishment. I ended up getting divorced and had no education to fall back on to support my children. I knew medical school was out of the question so I decided to become a Nurse Practitioner. For years my medical colleges would say that “I had a chip on my shoulder” about it, and they were right! I wanted that life and quite frankly was angry I didn’t accomplish it. I fought hard to be the best I could at every step through my career, as if I had something to prove. It really wasn’t until I found functional medicine and went my own way that I can look back and see this was the right path for me. I see now that I don’t have anything to prove I can just be me and use my knowledge to give the best care I possibly can and that is good enough. I have had an amazing career filled with wonderful, supportive mentors along the way. From the ER doctors to the General Surgeons who have educated and trained me I am forever grateful. They have shaped me and given me a solid foundation to practice confidently. So, long story short, If I had to go back I would do it all again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alayahealthandwellness.com/
• Instagram: @alayahealthandwellness
• Facebook: alayahealthandwellness
• Linkedin: Stacy Welker, FNP-C

Image Credits
Alisha Shaw Photography