Ashley Saia, NP - Beacon Medical Group ENT and Audiology South Bend

Ashley Saia decided on a career in medicine when she was a senior in high school. "I was taking college classes at the time and randomly decided to take a medical terminology class," she explains. "Not only did I love the class, but I became very interested in medicine. From that point on, I never wanted to major in anything else." As an ear, nose and throat practitioner, Ashley evaluates, diagnoses and treats patients who have ENT disorders. "I enjoy working with all different age groups and love that we can make a real difference in peoples’ lives," Ashley says. "There are many procedures that can almost instantly make a person feel better or improve their quality of life." Ashley enjoys the complexity of her field and chose to practice at Beacon because of the care they show their employees and their commitment to providing the best care to the community. "It is important to me to work at a hospital that I take pride in, and Beacon is exactly that." When it comes to her profession, Ashley wants her patients to know that she will treat them like her own family. "I want them to feel comfortable and cared for," she states. "I put my heart and soul into what I do. I want all my patients to have a good experience while getting excellent care. If they leave their visit feeling their questions have been answered and they received exceptional care, I have done my job." In her own words… Who is or was the most influential person/role model in your life? My grandmother was a very influential person in my life. She was kind, loving, hard-working, patient and accepting of everyone. What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? I was a cashier at A&W. I remember what a great job it was because I worked with a lot of my friends and the food was amazing. I once had a customer come through the drive-thru and thank me for having a smile on my face and being friendly. I never forgot how a smile can make a difference. What is your favorite food? Movie? My favorite food is grandma’s homemade vegetable soup. I try to replicate it and have come close, but it always makes me think of her. My favorite movie is The Princess Bride. What were your best/worst subjects in school? My favorites then and now are math and science. If you could sit down to dinner with anyone, alive or deceased, who would it be and why? Florence Nightingale. She has been an inspiration to me throughout my career. She was very ahead of her time and incredibly passionate about the nursing profession. I would love to hear stories about how nursing was then, and how she made changes throughout her life to the nursing profession. In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? I am very passionate about spending time with my family. There are so many things I want to do with my children that will also benefit others. I would like to be a Girls on the Run coach for my daughter and help teach other children the value of exercise and instill confidence. My son and I also want to volunteer at a local cat rescue. What are your hobbies, interests? I love to run. My oldest son and I have run a few races together and it has been awesome to share that love of running with him. I also love to read. Do you have pets? Yes! I have two dogs, Ruby and Luna, and two cats, Newt and Ravenclaw. What is something most people don’t know about you? I am a huge Harry Potter fan. Three of my animals are named after Harry Potter characters, and my kids and I will often have Harry Potter movie marathons!