He was fresh from his experience in Guam, followed by the obstetric fellowship that allowed him to share those skills and experience with the residents. After a two-year assignment teaching at the residency, he had fulfilled his military obligations, but he was not quite done having adventures yet.

The next opportunity took Christianson and his family to Naples, Italy, for three years. Although it is a city of 3 million people, the Naval base is still somewhat isolated, so in many ways serving there still felt like a rural rotation and rural experience. As a family physician, he covered the emergency room, delivered babies and ran a full-scope practice. These adventurous assignments were also, once again, beneficial to his family. His children all learned Italian while there, and the family was able to explore Europe during their time there.

At the end of the three years in Italy, it was time to make some family decisions. They had family members back in Utah with ongoing care needs. So, the Christianson family decided it was time to settle down and head home. Christianson called a friend who was a resident at the Utah Valley Family Medicine Residency to inquire about possible job opportunities. The timing was perfect as a faculty member involved in obstetric care was just stepping back. They hoped to find someone with the obstetric and rural medicine experience and family medicine perspective that Christianson possessed. Dr. Christianson decided to fly from Italy to Utah (over a weekend!) to interview for the position. Shortly after arriving home in Italy, he found out he was being offered the Utah Valley job.

After living in California, Guam, and Italy and moving seven times in 11 years, the Christianson family ended up moving into a house just one block away from where a teenage Marlin lived while attending high school. This new location felt like a strange move for a man who regularly sought new adventures. “When we moved back, I didn’t know what it would be like moving forward,” Christianson says. “But being in a residency is a built-in adventure with excitement and a newness every year. Just the fact that we have a class graduating each year and each year we are interviewing brand-new, excited medical students — it really does feel like a new job every year. To see medicine through the residents’ eyes as they are learning things for the first time has kept it very fresh.” Additionally, practicing medicine in a more urban setting has enabled Christianson to continue experiencing a fuller scope of practice, combining the hospital, clinic and teaching. “It’s the best of a full scope rural practice, while in a city,” according to Christianson.

Teaching Residents During a Pandemic

When one seeks out new adventures, those adventures may come in a more challenging form. During a global pandemic, teaching residents could certainly qualify as an “adventure,” albeit an extremely challenging one. However, rather than focusing on the uncertainty and fear staff and residents feel during this time of crisis, Christianson instead emphasizes the energy and focus of the young doctors. “Just coming from the perspective of experience, you realize — in a good way — how innocent and naïve our learners are coming into this and how grateful we are for their dedication to exemplary care. When things feel overwhelming, the impulse can be to step back from challenges and make life easier in stressful times. However, we see our brand-new residents encountering this challenge with great enthusiasm and willingness, in a very safe way, to put themselves in harm’s way to do something meaningful for their patients and their families.” This willingness from residents does not mean that Christianson does not worry about the safety of his colleagues and students. He continually hopes that the information about how best to protect health care providers against contracting the virus is valid and that those providers will be safe, not taking undue risks. “These residents are young, they have young families, and there is always that moment of doubt about how this is really going to play out. Thankfully we have had very little direct difficulties or prolonged illness with the core family of this residency.”

Dr. Christianson has witnessed from the pandemic’s beginning that all of his colleagues at the hospital have rallied to provide the best care possible. “It always seemed like the right thing to do, and I think that was one thing I appreciated; it seemed so natural for them not to want to hide. The care I see provided is inspirational across the board. We have entire hospital areas transformed into pandemic floors.” What Christianson does not want to do is refer to it as “the new normal.” The barrage of daily news and fluctuating numbers is constant, but individuals and families still need routine care. While Christianson, his colleagues, and residents have adjusted to new routines while seeing patients so they can keep everyone as safe as possible — both patients and health care providers — they have also seen a great deal of suffering. And he stresses that this is not a political issue for those providing daily care to patients fighting COVID-19. “We are seeing patients; young patients, pregnant patients and elderly patients suffer from devastating consequences. The reality of it should sweep aside the politics of it. It is affecting people we care about. The politics of it is wiped away when you are dealing with it on the ground.”