I was born and raised in Northwestern Montana where my Dad was one of the first physician’s assistants to practice in the 1970s. His patients truly enjoyed him as he was kind, funny, and was always willing to help. Many would say that I take after my Dad as I have always felt a strong desire to help other people and try to do everything with kindness. We even share the same green eyes and our birthdays are a day apart. I loved everything about growing up in a small town in Montana. I split my childhood between Eureka and Troy and both were tight night communities where people cared about each other. I was surrounded by mountains, trees, and beautiful lakes. We didn’t have a mall or fast food. Most gatherings were at a bonfire deep in the woods.
After graduating high school, I set off to the big city of Billings where I obtained a Bachelors of Science in Psychology at MSU-Billings. My first professional job was at Deaconess Psychiatric Center where I really developed a passion for helping those who were hurting the most. I wanted to do more and further my education so I moved to Missoula in 1998 where I pursued my Masters in Social Work. I graduated in 2000 with my MSW and worked in the mental health field for the next 8 years. This included both community mental health as well as inpatient mental health and addiction treatment facilities. I also opened a private non-profit assisted living facility for adults with serious and debilitating mental illness and traumatic brain injury as there was nothing available for adults needing to transition out of the state hospital. This is where I learned that I truly enjoyed taking care of people’s most basic needs. I cooked for all the residents, assisted with baths, helped them monitor their blood sugars, took them shopping… I did it all . However, after deciding to have children I decided it was time to close this chapter and pass this beloved home on to new owners.
Life changed dramatically for me in 2009 when I left the Missoula area and moved to Bozeman with my then 3 year old daughter and 4 year old son. It was tough being a single mother and essentially starting my life over. I knew that I was burned out as a social worker and needed to pursue something else. I came across a small medical clinic and was hired as a medical assistant and weight loss consultant. I was able to gain so many skills in my 7 years there including phlebotomy, administering injections , taking vital signs but most importantly, helping individuals achieve their goals. After the clinic closed, I seemed to flounder around trying to find the next best fit. It wasn’t until December, 2021 that I found my work home at Spring Integrative Health.
Spring is the most wonderful and supportive environment in which I have ever worked. I wear many hats here and love coming to work everyday. My role here includes the following;
- Office Manager
- Medical Assistant for all doctors and residents
- Phlebotomist
- First contact with patients, setting up new patient appointments and scheduling follow up visits
- Coordinates patient check-in and check-out
- Coordinate care between doctors and patients while meeting both of their needs
My most important role is making sure that our patients and our providers feel important and cared for! If you have any questions or needs at Spring Integrative Health, please feel free to call and ask for me!
