A Registered Medical Assistant advocates for routine FibroScan liver screenings as essential preventive healthcare, emphasizing early detection's critical role in preventing advanced liver disease complications and improving patient outcomes.
Her Story
About Takisha
Takisha Nazario is a healthcare professional based in Orlando, Florida, with a career in the health and medical field that began in 2013. After working as a bartender, she pursued training at Central Florida Institute as an x-ray basic machine operator, completed an externship in internal medicine, and was hired by Dr. Samuel Jean, whom she considers her mentor. She later taught Allied Health as an instructor, an experience she describes as the highlight of her career because it allowed her to help students launch their own careers. Nazario currently works with gastroenterologists, where her main areas of expertise include internal medicine, fighting insurance denials through prior authorizations and appeals to ensure patients receive needed medications, performing liver fibroscans on Fridays, and scheduling procedures such as colonoscopies and endoscopies. She holds certifications as a BLS and CPR instructor, in phlebotomy, and for fibroscans through EcoSense. Her educational background includes graduating from high school in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, completing two years of college in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, attending Central Florida Institute, and currently being enrolled in healthcare management. She is a member of the ASPCA and supports the LGBTQ community through volunteering.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Takisha
01What do you attribute your success to?
“I contribute my success to my faith, my perseverance, and my passion for serving others. Healthcare isn’t just a job for me—it’s a calling. Throughout my career, I’ve learned that every patient deserves compassion, every student deserves encouragement, and every challenge is an opportunity to grow. I’ve never been afraid to keep learning or step into new roles, whether that was becoming an instructor, learning specialized procedures like FibroScan, or advocating for patients through medication appeals. I believe my willingness to keep growing while putting people first is what has led to my success.”
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To stop Bartending and go back to school and here I am today 13 years later ! Loving what I do and doing what I love !!
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
“Never stop learning. Healthcare changes every day, and the more knowledge you gain, the more lives you can touch. Be compassionate, ask questions, and remember that every patient is someone’s loved one.”
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my career right now is navigating the increasing administrative demands while still providing compassionate, patient-centered care. Insurance prior authorizations, medication appeals, and documentation requirements can sometimes delay patients from receiving the treatments they need. As someone who specializes in appeals, I see firsthand how frustrating that can be for patients and their families. My goal is to advocate for them and help remove those barriers whenever possible.”
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being able to Balance them out ! Work is at work , Home is Home with my Dog and my space. I can’t expect my family to feel what I do and I can’t let a patient see what I’m going through . Work/Life balance is very important.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Takisha
Liver FibroScan Screenings
Understanding FibroScan as a crucial preventive tool for early liver disease detection.
Early Detection Saves Lives: Why It's Time to Talk More About Liver Health
As a Registered Medical Assistant, I've spent more than a decade caring for patients and watching medicine evolve. One lesson has remained constant: early detection saves lives.
Most of us recognize the importance of preventive screenings. We schedule mammograms to detect breast cancer early. We undergo colonoscopies to help prevent colorectal cancer before it develops. We receive routine blood work, blood pressure checks, and wellness exams because prevention is always more effective than waiting for symptoms to appear.
So why aren't we talking more about liver health?
The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body, yet liver disease often develops silently. Many people with fatty liver disease or liver fibrosis feel perfectly healthy while damage progresses over the course of years. By the time symptoms appear, significant liver damage may have already occurred.
That's why I believe FibroScan® liver screenings deserve a place among our routine preventive healthcare measures.
A FibroScan Is a Quick, Non-Invasive, Painless Test
A FibroScan is a quick, non-invasive, painless test that measures liver stiffness and estimates the amount of fat in the liver. There are no needles, no sedation, and no recovery time. In just a few minutes, patients and their healthcare providers gain valuable information that can help determine whether further evaluation or treatment is needed.
With rising rates of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and other chronic conditions, liver disease is becoming increasingly common. Yet many people have never heard of a FibroScan until they are referred to a specialist.
Imagine if liver screening became as familiar as scheduling a mammogram or colonoscopy. Imagine identifying liver disease before irreversible scarring develops. Imagine giving patients the opportunity to improve their health through lifestyle changes, medical management, and ongoing monitoring before complications arise.
That is the future I hope to see.
Knowledge Empowers Patients
Every day, I witness the difference that early detection can make. Knowledge empowers patients. It gives them choices, hope, and the opportunity to protect one of the most vital organs in their bodies.
I am proud to work alongside the exceptional physicians at Digestive Disease Consultants, where we are committed to advancing preventive digestive and liver healthcare. We currently offer FibroScan screenings every Friday and are excited to expand availability to additional days in the near future. More importantly, if a patient's scan identifies concerning findings, our experienced gastroenterologists and liver specialists are available to provide comprehensive evaluation, education, and personalized treatment recommendations.
A screening is only the beginning. Having a knowledgeable medical team to interpret the results and guide the next steps is what truly makes the difference.
Preventive Healthcare Should Never Stop at What We've Always Done
As healthcare professionals, we have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to educate our communities about conditions that often go unnoticed until it is too late. By increasing awareness of FibroScan technology and encouraging appropriate screening for those at risk, we can help detect liver disease earlier, improve patient outcomes, and potentially prevent advanced liver complications.
Preventive healthcare should never stop at what we've always done. It should continue to evolve as medicine advances.
My hope is that one day, conversations about liver health will become just as routine as conversations about colonoscopies, mammograms, cholesterol checks, and blood pressure screenings because every patient deserves the opportunity to understand the health of their liver before symptoms ever appear.
Sometimes the most powerful medicine isn't a prescription.
It's prevention.
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