A woman trained to bring help and hope to people in their most desperate situations in the wilderness is bringing her expertise to Gwinnett and Barrow counties.
Sarah Masiewicz, a family nurse practitioner who recently joined Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Auburn Primary Care, accomplished many things while working toward her certification in Advanced Wilderness Life Support – including climbing Mount Baker, the highest peak in Washington’s North Cascades and the northernmost volcano in the contiguous United States.
“I’ve always enjoyed working in emergency situations, whether it’s training on a mountain or working in the emergency department as a traveling nurse,” Masiewicz said. “That’s the kind of experience I’m bringing to the primary care setting, and I think that sets me and my patients up for success. I’m excited to be in north Georgia, getting to know such an amazing community.”
Masiewicz was a registered nurse in several emergency departments along the east coast, as well as in Kentucky and Michigan. She started off at Medstar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore in 2013 and, eight years later, landed at Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS).
“I fell in love with the culture at NGHS and didn’t want to leave,” Masiewicz said. “I really enjoyed the work I did in Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville’s emergency department. So, when I decided to move to primary care, going somewhere other than NGPG didn’t even cross my mind.”