Pub. 3 2019 Issue 1

Dr. Nikki Clark | Continued on page 12 Getting to Know O utgoing P reside nt Dr . Nikki Clar k What made you decide to become a physician? Did you always aspire to be part of the medical industry? I was exposed to the world of medicine at a very young age. Both my parents were nurses, and my uncle was a doctor, so the dinner table conversation was either really cool or really gross, depending upon your perspective. My mom was the ultimate nurse; she had the white dress and the matching cap, and she was dedicated to the patients in her care. She was a nurse for 45 years, and I remember her frustration with some of the doctors when she made suggestions about patients. For me, the career path was al- ways that of a doctor — or nothing. I grew up in a VERY small town in Vermont. We had a wonderful family doctor in our town. Everyone knew everyone and when it came to medical care, our doctor was at the center of it all. In medical school I was able to spend a rotation with our family doctor and I loved it. I also really enjoyed my rotation in the emergency room, but I quickly learned that I enjoyed the relation- ships with patients — I was always the one asking about the progress of a patient once they left the E.R. I thought about becoming a teacher, and the cool thing is that my career these days combines both. I practice medicine and I teach medical students during their three- year family medicine residency. Describe your education background. Why did you specialize in family medicine? I got my undergraduate degree at the Univer- sity of Colorado. I took two years off to work, travel and play, and then went to medical school at the University of Vermont. Are there any specific indi- viduals who had a major im- pact on your career decision? Well, other than my parents, it would be Dr. David Flinders. He’s retired now, but, he was the ultimate family doctor. As students, we all wanted to be him. He did it all — he delivered babies, saw patients in clinic, did rounds in the hospital and performed mi- nor surgery. He was also very involved with the Academy on a national level as well as the UAFP. He set the bar very high. I have also been fortunate to meet amaz- ing people — I call them “minute mentors.” They are the colleagues who are there when I need them, and then they move on. I think we all have these people in our lives, and I think the challenge is to recognize them and learn from them. 11 |