WELCOME!

Hello, my name is Marlena Buitrago and I have 20 years of experience in healthcare. I am a Family Nurse Practitioner and graduate of the University of Tampa. My undergraduate degree was at St. Petersburg College, and my Associates in Nursing was from a community college in NJ. My background is in Hematology/Oncology, Gynecology/Oncology, Medical/Surgical, Gynecology, and Telemetry. As a preceptor of new and experienced nurses, I have a passion for paying it forward to the new generation of nurses. I am a preceptor for nurse practitioner students at USF and Nova. I have been a board certified oncology nurse for 15 years and a member of the Pinellas County Oncology Nursing Society, Tampa Bay Advanced Practice Nurses Council, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and Sigma Theta Tau. I have been honored to receive several prestigious awards including: Preceptor/Mentor of the year by the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives in 2019, Florida West Regional Daisy Award in 2017, and WOW nurse of the year by Baycare in 2013. Nursing is a TEAM effort. We must be master collaborators and lead our patients with individualized patient centered care.

Nursing has been a beautiful and rewarding career; my goal is to help you succeed while teaching you critical thinking and pass as much knowledge forward to you as possible during our time together. I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking Italian food, going to the beach, and spending time with my Boston Terrier and Puggle. WE are going to have a great semester!

I am a Full Time practicing Nurse Practitioner at an OB/GYN practice, so if you need to reach me I prefer email.