Gratitude Once More

I have learned from many people over the years: my parents, educators, peers, spouse, children…and even a few complete strangers. Some of my teachers have been patient and gentle as they pointed out places I didn’t quite get it right; a few have been abrupt, almost urgent in tersely correcting me. Several didn’t even know they were part of my education; I grabbed their best practices in passing.

As a student, resident and early career physician, I was blessed with three incredible mentors. From these family docs, I learned the science of medicine, and more importantly, I realized the necessity of practicing the art. I’ve been working on sharing my gratitude with those who make my life better on the regular, so I’m taking time to say thanks to those who shared so much with me and helped “grow me up” to be the family physician I am.

My earliest mentor was Dr. Dick Ohmart (Oakley, KS), who introduced me to family medicine. Dr. Dick got me started right: he delivered me and was my primary care physician until I moved away from home as a young adult. I came back to learn with him as a medical student and found he truly represented the heart and soul of the profession I chose. I watched as he combined a love of medicine and a love of his community, and I knew that was something I wanted, too. From him, I learned more than I can possibly list out. Some of my favorites are: never get too excited (“look at the patient - if she looks fine, she probably is, and you will be, too”), share humor with your patients and never give up hope.

In residency, I met Dr. Mike Engelken (Topeka, KS) who taught me how to be a family physician. Dr. E always seemed to know how to untangle a complex case and think through the best plan of action. When he was the faculty on call, I felt a little more confident about my skills. I think I gravitated to him as a learner because he had that same calm approach for scary situations I had seen in Dr. Dick. From E, I learned to build deep connections with my patients by sharing personal experiences. I also saw him lead by example on how to care for patients safely, even when tired. He delivered the second of my children while I was in residency, and I loved his care of our family so much, I drove back across the state several years after residency for him to deliver my third!

As a brand new doctor with absolutely no idea of how to run a business (let alone how to practice medicine without a safety net!), I was incredibly blessed to partner with Dr. Dan Sanchez (Plainville, KS). Dan is a family physician who has lived and practiced in Rooks County for over 25 years, and was the senior member of the hospital medical staff when I arrived in 2002. He knew how to be successful in private practice and generously shared all his knowledge with me. From him, I learned how to hire great teams and then stand back to let them solve problems. I also learned the intricate details of a revenue cycle and what makes the Rube Goldberg machine of a medical practice work.

Drs. Dick Ohmart, Mike Engelken and Dan Sanchez

Thanks, guys. You made a positive and indelible impact on both my life and the lives of my patients. I don’t think it possible to repay the time you spent, knowledge you shared and kindness you showed, so I will pay it forward instead, and try my best to make a similar impact on the lives of learners I know.