Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to another episode of Woodlawn Health DocTalk. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. In today's episode, we're excited to introduce you to Rachel Woods, a Nurse Practitioner here in our Employer Health Services Department, formerly known as Occupational Health. Join us as we get to know more about Rachel and her journey in health care.

So, let's start near the beginning of your journey, Rachel. When did you know that medicine would be your career path?

Rachel Woods, MSN-FNP: I started in medicine as kind of an odd path. I wanted to be a teacher to begin with and I went to school to be an elementary education teacher, but it was a very expensive school and I realized I'm never going to pay this off being teacher. So I came home and my mom actually suggested me to go to nursing school and I thought that was crazy, but I applied.

School was starting in two weeks and I got in and then I just thought, well, okay, we'll try this out. It's only two years, two years went by, I went back for a bachelor's and absolutely loved it. It's so close to teaching that it really just involves, you know, just kind of a different mindset and a different setting, but they're very similar.

Host: And why did you choose family medicine? Can you tell us more about that?

Rachel Woods, MSN-FNP: What I love about family medicine and why I chose family medicine is because you get to see everybody. You see the youngest, you see the oldest, everybody in between, you see people that are students, people that work, people that are retired, and all of those people come with different life experiences, different health concerns, different health needs, and you get to learn so much, and cover so many topics; that every day is a different day, and every day can be very interesting and a learning experience for both you and for your patient.

Host: Well, to dig into that even deeper, can you tell us more about what you love about what you do?

Rachel Woods, MSN-FNP: So like I said, I started out schooling thinking that I wanted to be a teacher, and that's what I love about being in medicine. There is so much education that I get to provide to patients, share knowledge that I've learned, we get to collaborate. It's kept me being in medicine, because being in medicine you get to be an educator and learn along with patients.

Host: I love that. And why did you choose to come to Woodlawn then?

Rachel Woods, MSN-FNP: So Woodlawn is actually a return for me when I was in nursing school, I worked as a housekeeper at Woodlawn, and then I became a nurse extern. And then when I graduated, I started working on what was called the Med Surg Unit at that time and is the UCU now, and worked there for about five years and really enjoyed it and then left to try some other things.

So being at Woodlawn isn't coming to Woodlawn, it's kind of coming back to Woodlawn more than anything.

Host: What would you say your favorite thing is about rural healthcare?

Rachel Woods, MSN-FNP: What I love about rural health care is you really meet people where they are because a lot of people aren't able to go other places and seek health care. So you get to see them close to home. You get to know them. There is such a huge need right now across the United States for people who want to live in a rural area and practice in a rural area.

And I've always grown up in and lived in rural areas, so it just was normal for me to do rural health. It's part of me. It is something that has a huge need. And as I was thinking about going through nurse practitioner school and if I want to do family practice or a specialty, I just felt that there was such a need for family practice and in this area.

So it was a, a no brainer to stay in this area and to practice rural health.

Host: Wonderful. Well, to wrap us up here, what are some things that you like to do in your free time?

Rachel Woods, MSN-FNP: In the warmer months, my husband and I like to do a lot of camping. We have a property close to Rochester we camp at a lot and go to a lot of the state parks. I really love cooking, all kinds of cooking and for whoever will let me cook for them. And really just spending time with my family. I have amazing nieces and nephews and I love when I get to spend time with them and spoil them and just get to enjoy them. 

Host: Thank you so much, Rachel, for telling us a bit about yourself and for being a member of the Woodlawn Health team. For more information, please call 574-223-9525 or schedule an appointment. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it with others. And thank you for listening to Woodlawn Health Doc Talk, a podcast from Woodlawn Health.