Shawna Nievierowski, FNP-BC

"Patients do better when they understand their condition and the interrelationship between treatments, behaviors and their health. I’m here as an equally vested partner in helping them feel better."

Based in the hospital, Shawna Nievierowski, FNP-BC, leads the medical team and coordinates inpatient care across medical specialties. She may examine individuals as they’re admitted, ordering x-rays, diagnostic tests and other lab work; then analyze test/imaging results, order treatments and medical services and prescribe medications.

Mrs. Nievierowski only sees patients for the length of their hospital stay and determines when the patient is ready to leave. Upon discharge, hospital staff assist with the transition of care from the hospitalist to the patient’s primary care provider, specialists and/or other services if they are needed.

Areas of Expertise

• Asthma — A condition in which the airways become inflamed and constricted, causing excessive mucus production, wheezing and shortness of breath.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — A group of inflammatory lung conditions, emphysema and chronic bronchitis among them, which block airflow and make it hard to breathe.
• Complicated Pneumonias — A broad category of infections involving the lung parenchyma combined with significant effusion, empyema, severe or impending respiratory failure, and/or signs and symptoms of sepsis or shock.
• Pulmonary Fibrosis — A disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred, making it more difficult to breathe and get oxygen to the bloodstream.
• Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) — An umbrella term used for a large group of diseases that cause scarring (fibrosis) of the lungs.

Background

After earning her nurse practitioner degree and several advanced intensive and critical care certifications, she was recruited into pulmonary care where she developed a passion for the specialty that she worked in for more than a decade.

A “fixer” at heart, Mrs. Nievieroski knew she wanted to be a nurse since age 12. She worked as a registered nurse in urgent, intensive and emergency care, in addition to caring for patients recovering from open-heart surgery before returning to school to become a nurse practitioner.

After regularly visiting the Lowcountry several times a year, she was excited to move to Beaufort with her husband, Dennis, who grew up in the area. The couple has a blended family with six adult children and enjoys fishing, boating and traveling to indie rock music festivals.