Page 19 - KootenaiHealth

Why did you choose your spe-cialty? What about it is most interest ing to you? I chose otolaryngology because I was in-terested in being a clinician and a surgeon—plus as an ear, nose and throat (enT) physician, the diver-sity is very gratifying. We are one of the only specialties that see kids and adults, and our surgeries range from procedures that last minutes to ones that take an entire day. Another great thing about enT is that it’s a specialty where your patients come back to see you for many years. you develop a lasting relationship with them and spendmany years together changing and growing.

Howwould you explain your job to someone who doesn’t under-stand what it is? Basically I am a physician who takes care of any medical problem above the shoul-ders (excluding the eyes). As an enT physician, I see patients in my offce and perform surgery.

Where did you work before Koo-tenai? I worked for five years in detroit for the Henry Ford Hospital Systems.

I was born and raised on Whidbey Island in Washington. My family still lives in Washington, and my husband and I were looking for a beautiful, quaint town with a lake that was close to family. After mul-tiple visits and talking with people about the community and the health system, we knew that we would love this area. And we do.

What should patients expect when they come to see you? How should they prepare for an appointment? Patients should expect a friendly offce staff, a physi-cian who listens and will perform a thorough physical exam, and by the end of the visit a plan to address their concerns. To be prepared for an of-fce visit, please know your medical history and medications.

Tell us a little about yourself— such as your hobbies, family and interests. I’m originally from Wisconsin and lived there through college. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, I moved to Utah to do my residency, which

is where I met my husband, who is also an oB/Gyn. We’ve been mar-ried for a year and just had our frst baby, Maggie, on July 2.

Why did you choose your spe-cialty? What about it is most interesting to you? I like to care for women and get to know them throughout their pregnancy. Since I’ve just hadmy frst baby, I feel like I have a whole newperspective onmy job. It’s the perfect combination of caring for women, delivering babies and performing surgeries.

How would you explain your job to someone who doesn’t un-derstand what it is? Most people knowwhat an oB/Gyn is. There are quite a few people who think I only deliver babies, but that’s only 50 per-cent of my job. The other 50 percent is seeing patients for their annual appointments and doing surgeries.

We looked in Spokane and coeur d’Alene before deciding to move. We love the coeur d’Alene area and enjoy being by the water. We both work hard during the week, so it’s nice living in a vacation spot.

What should patients expect when they come to see you? How should they prepare for an appointment? I always tell patients to write down their ques-tions before they come see me so they don’t forget. Also, please bring in any research you’ve done person-ally so we can talk about it together. not everything on the Internet is accurate.

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learn about local physi-cians on the Kootenai Health website. Go to KootenaiHealth.org , and click on “Find a Physician.”