Victoria Area Nurse Practitioners - VANP

11/15/2025

Both Victoria natives - Sheila Martinka CFNP (left) and Elyana York CPNP (right) relocated back to their home town after years abroad to provide comprehensive pediatric care from birth to young adulthood !

Sheila has expertise in chronic illness management such as asthma, cystic fibrosis as well as urgent care at prior employers such as Texas Children’s Hospital UTMB and Driscoll Children’s Hospital.

Elyana’s areas of expertise include post op care primary pediatric care, management of acute/chronic illness in clinic and emergency room at Texas Children’s Hospital, Dell Children’s Hospital, Detar North Women and Children’s and Driscoll Children’s Hospital.

Find them at Almouie Pediatric Victoria for all your child’s needs !

11/14/2025

🌟Join us in welcoming Jessica Heller, MSN, FNP-C to DeTar Medical Group Clinic East, located on the campus of Texas A&M University – Victoria. 🌟

Jessica is a seasoned family nurse practitioner with over three decades of experience in both clinical and leadership roles within DeTar Healthcare System. Her commitment to quality, compassionate care makes her an exceptional addition to our DeTar Medical Group team of primary care providers!👩‍⚕️

She’s now accepting new patients, with same-day appointments available.
📅 Schedule online: https://www.mydetardoctor.com/doctors-providers/heller-jessica-msn-fnpc-10239
Or, call 361-305-6500

11/14/2025

✨ Provider Spotlight:

Meet Rachel Shafer, Wound Care, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, and Ostomy Nurse Practitioner at PAM Health Specialty Hospital of Victoria North’s Outpatient Wound Care Clinic.

Rachel is a nurse practitioner specializing in wound care, ostomy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy at PAM Health Specialty Hospital of Victoria North. Rachel is passionate about limb salvage and amputation prevention and has dedicated her career to caring for patients with chronic wounds and ostomies. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing Education with a post-graduate certification as an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner.

After completing training in 2011 through the Wound Care Education Institute, Rachel became Wound Care Certified through the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy.

She went on to complete more advanced training in wound and ostomy through WebWOC Nursing Education Program at Metropolitan State University followed by an internship at San Antonio Military Medical Center.

In 2013, she earned her Wound and Ostomy Certification through the W.O.C.N. Board. Furthering her education in wound care, Rachel completed training for hyperbaric oxygen therapy in 2014.

From 2014-2019, Rachel worked with multiple amputation prevention centers in the Houston area, honing her skills and focus on patient care using advanced modalities for limb preservation.

In 2019, Rachel moved back to her hometown of Victoria and joined PAM Health to bring her expertise to both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Rachel is dedicated to evidence-based practices and believes that education is key to early detection and intervention in prevention of major amputations.

We are proud to have Rachel’s incredible leadership, passion, and experience on our wound care team here at PAM Health Victoria. Rachel -- your expertise and dedication helps deliver the best possible outcomes for our wound care patients! Thank you for all you do!

11/14/2025

11/14/2025

11/13/2025

🩺ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 ℕ𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖 ℙ𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕣 𝕎𝕖𝕖𝕜🩺

This week, we proudly celebrate our Nurse Practitioners at Crown Hospice. Your clinical expertise, compassionate care, and unwavering to our patients and their families make an incredible impact every single day.

Thank you for your leadership, professionalism, and to providing the highest quality of care. We are truly grateful for all that you do to uphold the mission and values of Crown Hospice!

11/13/2025

Happy Nurse Practitioner Week!
We are proud to recognize our incredible Nurse Practitioners at Memorial Medical Clinic who provide compassionate, skilled, and patient-centered care every single day.

Our NP team plays a vital role in keeping our community healthy, offering expertise, dedication, and a commitment to excellence in every patient interaction.

Please join us in celebrating:
Shanna O’Donnell, FNP-C
Traci Shefcik, FNP-C
Courtne Thurlkill, FNP-C
Michael Gaines, FNP-C
Tasha Norman, FNP-C

Thank you for all you do for our patients and our community. We appreciate you this week and every week!

11/09/2025

Happy National Nurse Practitioner week to all our VANP members and NPs in the Victoria area alike ! Our group included members who provide care to patients in Victoria, Calhoun, Lavaca, Matagorda and Jackson Counties !

Please leave a shoutout for an NP you value or has made a difference in the care of you or your family !

11/08/2025

Acadia is a steadfast member of VANP and her contributions to the organization are deeply appreciated !

✨ Provider Spotlight: Acadia Joines, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC

🩺 Meet Acadia Joines, Family and Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse practitioner.

Acadia grew up and graduated from high school in Victoria before attending college at Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, where she earned her bachelor's in nursing in 2010. She then went on to earn her Family Nurse Practitioner Master of Science degree from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi in 2016 and a post-master's certification as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from University of Texas at Arlington in 2023.

Acadia has worked as a hospitalist in healthcare settings around the Victoria community, including with PAM Health for the past nine years. At PAM Health, she gained experience and training treating patients with complex wounds, which led to her transition to working in our outpatient wound care clinic at PAM Health Specialty Hospital of Victoria North. Acadia has also trained in hyperbaric medicine.

Proud of her deep roots in the Victoria community and committed to her professional development, Acadia is active in the local nurse practitioner group and just finished a two-year term as the organization's president. Outside of work, she stays busy with her husband, four children, and their busy schedules. Between band, baseball, and gymnastics practices with her kids (among other activities!), Acadia still finds time for her own hobby: running! She enjoys participating in the local running chapter. She loves raising a family in the area where she grew up and getting to serve her wonderful community as a healthcare provider.

❤️‍🩹 Acadia, we are so lucky to have you as part of our PAMily!

10/31/2025

Trick-or-treat… our team got something sweet! 🍭🎃

Huge thanks to the Victoria Area Nurse Practitioners for spoiling our staff with Halloween goodies.👻🧡

07/25/2025

🌟Scholarship Spotlight🌟

Kaylyn Chavarria is a Master’s AGACNP student attending the University of Texas at Arlington, expected to graduate December 2026. She has over 8 years of experience in different areas including Med-Surg, Cardiac, ICU, and Infusions. Currently she works along side DeTar Hospitalist coordinating and collaborating patient care with fellow physicians and nurse practitioners. Kaylyn is thankful for her time and the continued education she has received from the Hospitalist group. This scholarship will allow her to complete her educational goals to further provide skillful and companionate patient care as a Nurse Practitioner.

She is our Spring 2025 scholarship recipient. Way to go Kaylyn!

07/22/2025

Scholarship opportunities‼️