Steffany Hauenstein, CRNP

Hello, my name is Steffany Hauenstein, and I am a nurse practitioner with over 18 years’ experience working within the healthcare community. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of North Alabama, and my master’s degree from The University of Alabama in Huntsville. I am currently working on my doctorate in nursing as well, focusing on the impact of lifestyle habits on chronic disease. Over the years, I have worked serving the community in the primary care setting focusing on the diagnosis & treatment of chronic disease and management of preventative services; the urgent care setting treating a wide-variety of urgent care needs; and in the hospital setting providing acute care services to adults facing a multitude of acute and chronic health conditions.

Having worked in many healthcare settings, I’ve noticed a common pattern in patient care- too often it is focused on treating an existing problem without ever considering the cause or the many factors patients face when attempting to achieve a greater state of health. So many common chronic diseases today are a direct result of the lifestyle choices we make every day. Poor diet, lack of exercise, too much stress, not enough sleep, and substance abuse, are all lifestyle habits that drive the prevalence of chronic illness. I recognized this early in my career and decided that I wanted to be a provider that helped patients acknowledge and work through the personal barriers holding them back from achieving improved health. Luckily, I realized I was not the only provider striving to help patients make long-term lifestyle changes to improve their overall physical and mental health. In 2020, I discovered the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and became certified as a Lifestyle Medicine Professional. Through this training I learned to approach every patient encounter with a focus on addressing lifestyle factors to support patients in working towards improved health and quality of life, no matter what or how many health obstacles they are facing.

As a provider, I believe that focusing on the patient as a whole, and addressing all factors impacting their overall well-being, is key to optimal patient care. In 2023, I had my own personal experience when my father was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. From day one of his diagnosis until the day of his passing, I was blessed to be involved in his care as a family support person. This was such a change for me as a healthcare provider, especially one who had little experience with oncology patients specifically. But it was through this experience and being on the other side of the exam room, that I realized exactly how much goes into caring for cancer patients, both physically and mentally. I saw first-hand how hard this process was for my father and for all his loved ones, and I quickly realized there were so many moving parts that went into his care. But the efforts that stood out with me the most were that of his oncology team here at Southern Cancer Center. I watched in awe & appreciation the compassion and coordination they all put into my father’s care during his battle with cancer. From the very beginning, they looked at him as a whole and all the factors impacting his health and provided support and guidance in all we needed during such a difficult time.

I am honored that I can now be a part of that same wonderful team, and I too can play a large part of caring for and supporting others going through such challenging times. And I am so appreciative that I get to utilize all of my education, training, and passion for treating the patient as a whole in a way that I know is meaningful for my patients and their families. I never dreamed oncology would be the place I would land as a nurse practitioner, but I am so grateful life led me here.