Taylor Karhliker, DNP’s journey from the Rush University Residency Program to a vital member of the Tapestry 360 Health team illuminates the transformative power of compassion and community-driven healthcare. Her journey began at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she embarked on her nursing career. Hailing from central Illinois, Taylor’s path led her back home, where she immersed herself in neuro, trauma, and surgical intensive care nursing at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. 

Taylor joined our organization through our residency program with Rush College of Nursing that ended in 2023. Her transition to the bustling streets of Chicago marked a pivotal moment in her career. Inspired by the profound impact of community health initiatives, Taylor found herself drawn to the vibrancy of Chicago neighborhoods. Her experiences during residency rotations opened her eyes to the resilience, struggles, and unyielding spirit of the community—a revelation that would shape her path forward.

You joined our team right after your residency program through Rush. Can you tell us more about the program? 

The residency was great. We met once a week and focused on education, which was helpful because it was a collaboration between the psychiatry providers and the primary care providers. A lot of what we learned was about severe mental illness. There were primary care providers from T360H as well as Howard Brown and Rush, and everyone had a lot of different perspectives. Overall, we engaged in robust conversations all the time. In addition, it was nice to build a community with others who had also recently graduated. 

Once you completed your residency, what did your day-to-day look like? 

So when I finished, I didn’t have a normal launch into everyday nurse practitioner activities because I became the site lead at Trilogy at the same time that I ended the residency. The first thing that changed was my schedule. So, where I was used to really only being in clinic four days a week, I was now in clinic five days a week with a session of admin time. The residency really did prepare me to go off and be on my own. The real challenge was becoming the site lead at the same time as I was ending the residency. Fortunately, I was able to rely on my colleagues to help me navigate the new role.  

How has your time been at Tapestry 360 Health?  

T360H is great! Leadership is amazing. Laurie Carrier’s the best human on earth. She’s great to have as a boss. Working at Trilogy has allowed me to work with a special population. My team there is the best, and we all work really well together. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with the refugee health team, which has been rewarding. It can be a real challenge sometimes, but nonetheless, I feel a lot of support from my team and in leadership as well with that.  

I saw that you also spent some time teaching. How was that experience for you? 

I loved that. Teaching is something I’ll likely go back to doing on the side. I taught foundational skills for nursing students with bachelor’s in science, which was a lot of fun because they were excited about starting clinicals.  

You mentioned that you work closely with the refugee health team.  How’s that been for you? 

Very rewarding. There are a lot of times when people come in, and they just look like a deer in headlights. However, by the end of a second visit, you can tell the sense of relief. Just having some sort of connection to someone who’s going to help once they’re resettled is apparent all over a lot of people’s faces. So that’s lovely. Jehan worked so hard to build that program, and it’s really inspiring to watch her do her thing, honestly. 

Where do you think your passion for community health stems from? 

I think, honestly, I take it back to my first nursing program at UIC. I had a couple of professors who were very passionate about community health, and I think that showed a lot in the curriculum that they developed for the program. But what they emphasized with that was getting out in the community and seeing and 

doing things to really immerse yourself. So we did things like having a day at the needle exchange clinic or spending time at the jail – providing education to people who are incarcerated. And I don’t know, I think being immersed in those environments and just seeing, these are real people and are in need of real help, and they’re kind of forgotten members of society in a lot of ways. What a shame that is and how upsetting that is. So, I think my passion stems from seeing the hardship for myself. 

How do you manage high-stress situations at work? 

 Sometimes, I actually have to sit there and take a few deep breaths or acknowledge my feelings and say OK, I need a second before I can respond to this message or respond to you. I’ll come and find you in 5 minutes. Then another thing is venting to staff members. It’s like chicken noodle soup for the soul. 

What is your greatest achievement as a nurse practitioner? 

Recently, for one of my patients I work very closely with and is often a challenging patient to work with, I successfully treated his Hepatitis C. When I read “HCV not detected” in his lab results, I think there were tears in my eyes and a smile from ear to ear. I honestly may have been more excited than him. This was the first time I attempted to treat a patient’s Hepatitis C instead of referring out. 

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

Probably still here, maybe still be in site lead, and hopefully just being better at it. Creating some better quality improvements. I just hope to have the same exact job and just be better and more confident at it. 

Taylor Karhliker’s transition from residency to becoming a provider at Tapestry 360 Health is a testament to the transformative journey of a healthcare professional driven by passion and purpose. From the structured learning environment of residency to the dynamic challenges of clinical practice, Taylor’s evolution embodies the resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to patient care. Her journey serves as a poignant reminder that every step forward, no matter how daunting, brings us closer to our aspirations and the profound impact we can make in the lives of others. 

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