PITTSBURGH – When Trista (Globlosky) Weiss, CFRN, took her first flight aboard a medical helicopter at age 8, she had already planned her career: emergency medical care and airflight rescue.
“My brothers and I raced BMX bikes competitively, and while training one day I crashed and suffered a bad concussion,” said the 2012 Carlow alumna, a certified transport registered nurse. “I flew in a STAT MedEvac out of Greensburg to Children’s Hospital, and ever since I knew I wanted to be a flight nurse.”
Weiss is stationed at STAT MedEvac 3 at UPMC-Passavant, Cranberry Township, where she met her husband, flight physician Dr. Lenny Weiss. She works two 24-hour shifts each week. Her co-worker, emergency medical technician and paramedic Michael Stitt, NREMT-P, FPC, said Weiss does her job with precision and compassion.
“Trista’s dedication is to provide the best care possible, which is why I enjoy working with her,” said Stitt. “The knowledge she is able to share and the skills she performs in the most critical situations is top notch. No matter day or night, her patient comes first, the way it should be.”
A graduate of Yough High School, Herminie, who longed for a city environment, Weiss visited Carlow University in pursuit of her BSN degree because of its high National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rate.
“I had applied to other schools, but when Carlow offered me admission, between the labs, the curriculum and its first-time pass rate, I knew I would be well educated there,” she said.
Lynn George, PhD, dean of Carlow’s College of Health and Wellness, said Weiss is a remarkable nursing program alumna.
“She was previously featured on our website in recognition of her work as a flight nurse. She also is an active member of our alumni association and mentors undergraduate nursing students,” said George. “She is an advocate for Carlow University, and we are proud of her accomplishments.”
For the seventh year in a row, Carlow University BSN graduates have had the highest NCLEX pass rate in Pittsburgh, George said.
“Our Carlow University annual NCLEX pass rate is also substantially higher than the commonwealth and national average,” she said. “This outstanding student outcome is one important measure of the quality of our BSN programs.”
Following graduation, Weiss was hired at UPMC-Presbyterian to begin three years of critical patient care in the surgical and cardiothoracic intensive care units. In the latter, she cared for patients with heart and lung transplants, artificial hearts, and heart pumps.
She said the busy city hospital with high patient volume gave her the intense training she needed to be a medical emergency flight nurse. Weiss said Carlow prepared her well for that next level.
“As an 18-year-old looking for advice for nursing education, I would pick Carlow all over again. I loved the small class sizes, and the help with anything I needed. If I was struggling, say, in chemistry class, the professor and I would talk and meet weekly, if needed,” she said. “I think my education at Carlow is just second to none. I really think it helped me get in the door at Presby.”