{"id":6772,"date":"2019-08-04T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2019-08-04T13:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=6772"},"modified":"2022-04-20T10:47:02","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T15:47:02","slug":"doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor living the dream in rural health care"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"rocky<\/p>\n

For six years, Kim Johnson, DO, and her husband, Scott, lived in a suburb of Detroit. They would vacation on Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula<\/a> \u2013 known as the U.P. \u2013 and they dreamed of someday retiring there.<\/p>\n

Then their son was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to raise our child where he could be outside and enjoy life, rather than just go to the mall on the weekend,\u201d Dr. Johnson said. \u201cI looked at my husband and asked, \u2018If the U.P. is where we want to be, why wait till retirement?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

So for the past 11 years, the family has been proud \u201cYoopers,\u201d as residents of the U.P. are called. Dr. Johnson is an OB\/GYN for OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group<\/a> in Escanaba, a town of about 12,000 people located on the northwest shore of Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

Culture and quality clinched decision<\/h2>\n

The decision to move the family just a few months before the birth of their daughter was made easier because of what OSF HealthCare offered in terms of quality and culture.<\/p>\n

\"OSF<\/p>\n

OSF St. Francis is part of a faith-based, 13-hospital health system<\/a> that touts its Mission \u2013 \u201cto serve with the greatest care and love\u201d \u2013 as a way of life. Dr. Johnson got a taste of that culture when she traveled to Escanaba for her first interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hospital president made time for me as a person, and it became obvious I would not be just another cog in the wheel,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re very much a part of a team here. OSF calls you. There\u2019s no other way to put it. You can\u2019t get away from the Mission<\/a>, knowing you\u2019re here for a reason and for the people. As a physician, that speaks right to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Johnson understands the appeal of working at a large hospital in a big city. She has been there and done that. But the appeal of living and practicing in smaller, more remote areas can be just as strong. Moreover, working for a large health care system and living a more laid-back lifestyle need not be mutually exclusive aspirations.<\/p>\n

In fact, Dr. Johnson looks at her situation with OSF St. Francis, a critical access hospital, as \u201cthe best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very much connected to the big system,\u201d Dr. Johnson said. \u201cWe have a broad-based medical practice. We have the beauty of enhanced, state-of-the-art technology. Epic is our record system. Most providers and patients in rural areas don\u2019t have those benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great professional opportunity and lifestyle<\/h2>\n

Dr. Johnson likes the professional opportunities that a rural practice presents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get to do everything we were trained to do,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have sub-specialists. But we trained to do all of these things, and here we actually utilize all those skills. It pushes us to be more creative and flexible. You do have to think outside the box a little. For me, it\u2019s a very nice environment. As an OB, I get to take care of the whole person.\u201d<\/p>\n

The small-town dynamic also personalizes Dr. Johnson\u2019s practice in ways that are rare in a metropolitan area. For example, it\u2019s likely that while going about daily life in the community, she will encounter patients and the children she has delivered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a little bit more ownership when you know the people you are caring for are your neighbors and friends and their families,\u201d Dr. Johnson said. \u201cYou really are working together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as far as Dr. Johnson is concerned, you can\u2019t beat the lifestyle of a smaller town. The commutes to and from the office are shorter, the traffic non-existent. Quality time with the family increases, and recreational opportunities abound.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe quality of life is great,\u201d she said. \u201cWe live on a large parcel of property. The kids are outside. We can drive two hours north and be in one of the top mountain-biking areas of the country. There\u2019s plenty of good food, lots of art and culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing, though, is getting to care for people in a community you are truly a part of. We are here to serve everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about physician opportunities with OSF HealthCare here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For six years, Kim Johnson, DO, and her husband, Scott, lived in a suburb of Detroit. They would vacation on Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula \u2013 known as the U.P. \u2013 and they dreamed of someday retiring there. Then their son was born. \u201cWe wanted to raise our child where he could be outside and enjoy life, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":7056,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[337,639,675],"coauthors":[912],"class_list":["post-6772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","tag-catholic-health-care","tag-mission-partners","tag-osf-st-francis"],"yoast_head":"\nDoctor living the dream in rural health care | OSF HealthCare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doctor living the dream in rural health care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OSF HealthCare Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-04T13:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-20T15:47:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kirk Wessler\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Doctor living the dream in rural health care\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kirk Wessler\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/\",\"name\":\"Doctor living the dream in rural health care | OSF HealthCare\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-04T13:00:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-20T15:47:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bbcfadf7d37885247c75afc4eb7ce56e\"},\"description\":\"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Dr. Kim Johnson and family\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Doctor living the dream in rural health care\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"OSF HealthCare Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bbcfadf7d37885247c75afc4eb7ce56e\",\"name\":\"Kirk Wessler\",\"description\":\"After being a writer for OSF HealthCare for three years, Kirk Wessler retired in January 2022. A Peoria native and graduate of Bradley University, Kirk's experience included working for newspapers in Missouri, Texas and the Peoria Journal Star. Kirk and his wife, Mary Frances, have five sons, four daughters-in-law and nine grandchildren. Kirk plans to spend his retirement on the golf course, mastering the guitar and traveling.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/author\/kwessler\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Doctor living the dream in rural health care | OSF HealthCare","description":"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Doctor living the dream in rural health care","og_description":"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.","og_url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/","og_site_name":"OSF HealthCare Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/osfhealthcare","article_published_time":"2019-08-04T13:00:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-04-20T15:47:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kirk Wessler","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Doctor living the dream in rural health care","twitter_description":"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg","twitter_creator":"@osfhealthcare","twitter_site":"@osfhealthcare","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kirk Wessler","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/","name":"Doctor living the dream in rural health care | OSF HealthCare","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg","datePublished":"2019-08-04T13:00:02+00:00","dateModified":"2022-04-20T15:47:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bbcfadf7d37885247c75afc4eb7ce56e"},"description":"Learn why Dr. Johnson and her family left the big city, how they discovered a better lifestyle, and professional fulfillment in a small town.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Dr. Kim Johnson and family"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/doctor-living-the-dream-in-rural-health-care\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Doctor living the dream in rural health care"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/","name":"OSF HealthCare Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bbcfadf7d37885247c75afc4eb7ce56e","name":"Kirk Wessler","description":"After being a writer for OSF HealthCare for three years, Kirk Wessler retired in January 2022. A Peoria native and graduate of Bradley University, Kirk's experience included working for newspapers in Missouri, Texas and the Peoria Journal Star. Kirk and his wife, Mary Frances, have five sons, four daughters-in-law and nine grandchildren. Kirk plans to spend his retirement on the golf course, mastering the guitar and traveling.","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/author\/kwessler\/"}]}},"modified_by":null,"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Dr.-Kim-Johnson.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6772"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15681,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6772\/revisions\/15681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6772"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}