Amanda Wilde (Host): This is Woodlawn Health DocTalk, a podcast from Woodlawn Health. A nurse practitioner is a frontline first resort medical point of contact. Today, meet nurse practitioner, Samantha Lehman, to learn about her background, approach to family medicine, and what patients can expect from her care. I'm Amanda Wilde. Welcome to the podcast, Samantha.

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: Thank you for having me.

Host: When do you think your interest in medicine first started, and when did you know that medicine would be your career path?

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: Probably when I was little, because I always enjoyed taking care of other people and making sure they had everything they needed. So, I knew that it was definitely going to be in an area where I was going to be able to care for people.

Host: And when did you choose family medicine?

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: I chose family medicine. As I was going through nursing school, I went through the different specialties. When I was in those clinicals, I wanted to do that. But then afterwards, getting to do a little bit of everything sounded really great, and I like taking care of families and the whole families and getting to know everyone.

Host: And as a family practitioner, I guess you watch the family grow, so you're with them on the long term.

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: Yes, absolutely.

Host: Are there other things that stand out as things you love about what you do?

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: I just like going to work every day. I like having a problem to solve and being able to help. I like educating and teaching people how to achieve wellness, and that's one of my big things that I enjoy doing as well, and I like doing that across the whole lifespan. So, it's a really good place for me.

Host: And why did you choose to come to Woodlawn?

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: I like the small town. All of the people that I have met during this whole process have been fantastic. So, being able to work with all of them to work with the whole community has been great. It's the type of envi-environment that I really enjoy.

Host: What are your favorite things about rural healthcare?

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: I like the people. All the people are great. You really get to know them. They seem to welcome you into their family. That's a great feeling to have that honor to be able to care for them.

Host: Would you quickly also explain for people the difference between a nurse practitioner and a doctor, both who can be your primary care medicine source?

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: Well, we don't go to school for quite as long. Our clinical hours are not quite as long. If you add up all of the nursing, it is quite a bit because we start as a nurse. And then we have that clinical time. But I can't do major surgeries and things like that. But for family medicine, I can do pretty much everything that they need.

Host: Well, let's talk about some of the things you like to do outside of work. What do you like to do in your free time?

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: I have four boys. Three of them are still in school. And we are runners. So, we spend a lot of time at the track or cross country meets. Most of my extra spare time goes to them and taking care of them. And focusing on their health and wellness and making sure they're eating right. So, we spend a lot of time doing all that and running around everywhere.

Host: You are a very busy lady. Thank you so much, Samantha, for giving us this time and allowing us to get to know you today. And thank you for the important work you do at Woodlawn Health.

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: Well, thank you for letting me have the time to introduce myself.

Host: Such a pleasure.

Samantha Lehman, FNP-C: Thank you.

Host: For more information, please visit woodlawnhealth.org. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it on your social channels and check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Woodlawn Health Doc Talk. Thanks for listening.