Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Ellena, APRN, NP-C.
Devon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Art has always been a passion of mine throughout childhood and the awkward adolescent years. As I ventured through college, majoring in biology and psychology at Augsburg University, I continued art courses that served as a therapeutic outlet, alongside playing collegiate hockey and soccer.
Soon then after, I found myself perusing an accelerated master’s program at Marquette University, which launched my career into nursing, a field which I have always had great respect and admiration for. I spent 4 years in the surgical/trauma/cardiovascular ICU at Mayo Clinic–in doing so I found myself mesmerized by the abilities of the trauma/plastics/ENT surgeons to transform faces, hands, necks, in order to promote confidence and empowerment to those who suffered various disfiguration or functional limitations from injuries.
While working full-time, I completed my nurse practitioner education through St. Louis University–it was about the same time that I became licensed and certified to practice aesthetics. 2019 was an interesting year for me, however. I experienced major life changes. I also found my dog companion, Lambo, a 50-lb husky-shepherd rescue. For the next year, I travel nursed in an ICU/PACU while practicing aesthetics, waiting patiently for my NP job in family practice to start. My aesthetics skills met my artistic background beautifully–unexpectedly–and I continued to practice growing my skills. A goal of mine being–to make others feel as empowered as I felt when working bedside years ago. Flash forward to today–the last couple of years I have been working full-time in family practice while making time to practice aesthetics every Tuesday. This has led to the opportunity to build my practice further, bringing on new learning challenges and opportunities. I am still on my journey, I look forward to the unknown ahead.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Struggles include finding the right team. I am fortunate to have such an amazing support system, my sister who works beside me, and all the talented coworkers and the one-and-only esthetician, Patricia, who simply encourages and grows my skills further every day.
Working fulltime while completing school and balancing life has always been a challenge, but again manageable with the right team. If there is any piece of advice I have, it is to take time for physical health, friendships, family, mindfulness, fun.
Time management has always been a challenge–the pressure to “see a greater quantity” is a real thing. It drives income. Never jeopardize quantity for quality. Quality is the most important. I know this from all my year’s bedside and in family practice. Take the time to listen. It makes all the difference in both a good injector and provider.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Full-time I work in family practice, I treat and manage acute and chronic illnesses across various age spans, from adolescence to the elderly. A lot of my job is listening and meeting the patient where they are at. I see this overlap in aesthetics–I love discussing goals and participating in the journey it takes to achieve those results. I am most proud of the population I have been fortunate to work with–to be trusted with one’s face is a great privilege. I do have a niche in lip filler–it is one of my specialties and favorite areas to treat. Though I am well-versed in other areas of the face as well, which sets me a part–in addition I treat all ages from 18+. I also like to approach treatments more naturally, which I believe allows for the best results. Fostering relationships with patients has been an enjoyable part of my career in aesthetics.
Any big plans?
Time will tell. I would like to open a clinic in 2023 with the help of my current team, we are in the building process of this presently. I am looking forward to continuing to promote confidence and empowerment to both men and women–this is the foundation of my practice.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @np_devon
