09/22/16  Portland, Ore.

Julie Soelberg, M.S.N., C.R.N.A.  and clinical assistant professor at the OHSU School of Nursing began her career as a nurse anesthetist over 6 years ago in Philadelphia, Pa.

After earning her master's of science in nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, she began her practice as a nurse anesthetist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She welcomed a geographical move to Portland, Ore. in late 2012 & began working at Kaiser Permanente. Although she was on the pediatric team at Kaiser, her desire to practice pediatric anesthesia at an academic pediatric facility lead her to assume a position and work monthly at Seattle Children's Hospital. She is thrilled to now have the opportunity to practice pediatric anesthesia at OHSU. She is the first CRNA to be employed at Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

In addition to clinical practice, Julie also has a passion for nurse anesthesia education. She holds a current faculty appointment in the SON and has several duties within the nurse anesthesia program, including structuring and presenting the pediatric anesthesia curriculum. Julie is actively researching doctoral degree options and hopes to begin doctoral studies in 2017.

"I am elated to assume a joint position with OHSU's School of Nursing and the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine (APOM). The evolution of this position is a result of exceptional interdisciplinary collaboration, strong executive leadership and, humbly, my passion and expertise in pediatric anesthesia. Being the first Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Doernbecher Children's Hospital is meaningful to me personally and professionally, but also significant to the nurse anesthesia community and profession at large."

In her spare time, Julie enjoys biking, skiing and traveling. If you can't find her in Portland, you can likely find her in mountain biking in Hood River with her husband.

As a pediatric nurse anesthetist, improving the health of children in tangible ways is truly inspiring. Nurse anesthetists have been providing high quality care for over 150 years in a variety of practice settings, from rural America to large academic centers. Here in Oregon, our 350 nurse anesthetists have not been afforded the opportunity to practice in an academic pediatric facility. 

Look for the full story in the upcoming Fall Connections Newsletter.