Wade Wahlquist, RN, BSN

Biography

Wade Lee Wahlquist, RN, BSN, is no stranger to hard work or the deep vicissitudes of a human life. Throughout school he carried a Commander’s Coin from his uncle, Colonel John A. Wahlquist, USAF, that reads, “Perseverance Above Brilliance Begets Excellence.” That motto captures Wade’s gritty dedication to his faith, his family, his career, and his patients — and nearly all of his success has come from a consistent application of hard work and a refusal to give up.

Wade has served in many capacities, including six years in the Idaho National Guard during the Gulf War era, a two-year mission for his church, and three years on staff at a residential treatment facility. In his early adult life he worked in construction — electrical, welding, gas piping, and flooring — while earning a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, a minor in Psychology, and a Criminal Justice certificate from the University of Utah. At 33, with four young children at home, he made a major career change into healthcare, starting as a CNA at University Hospital and, over the next 18 years, adding a BSN in Nursing from Utah Tech University, an AAS in Nursing from Salt Lake Community College, and certifications including PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support).

True to his first-responder mentality, Wade has spent nearly his entire nursing career in ICU trauma — burn, neuro, surgical, pediatric trauma, and psychiatric care. He is currently a charge nurse in the ICU at St. George Regional Medical Center, routinely entrusted with the most critical patients in the valley. Patients, families, and colleagues describe him as compassionate, present, exceptionally skilled, and approachable — with the best dad jokes and fierce advocacy for his patients.

At STAR Guides, Wade combines his life’s work and education to care for the young people who come to wilderness therapy, drawing on his Sociology, Psychology, and Nursing background to serve as one of the finest outdoor wilderness-therapy nurses in the industry. He believes that with their own gritty determination to never give up, these young people can and will become their best selves.