Lana Evans, NP - Beacon Medical Group WaNee

About Rachel Pippenger After many years of working in the area of gastrointestinal (GI) medicine, Rachel Pippenger, NP, transitioned to family practice for the opportunity to do help people in a variety of ways. I love family practice, because you are able to form relationships with people,” she says. Her philosophy as a provider is “safety first.” This has always held true for her whether she was working at Goshen Hospital as a medical surgery nurse, or at the Elkhart Clinic working in GI, where she did office nursing, provided conscious sedation during procedures, or assisted in pre- and post-operative work, or endoscopy procedures. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from IU South Bend and her Master of Science in Nursing from Goshen College. An important lesson she learned in her studies was to recognize when you don’t have the answer. Collaboration is important, she says, adding, “I’m not afraid to tell people if I don’t know something, but I assure them I will always find answers.” Since 2015, she has worked in Bremen, managing her own panel of patients with chronic conditions including; diabetes, COPD/asthma, hypertension, women’s health, children’s health, and psychiatric care. Rachel was excited for the opportunity to work in her own community. No matter where she is or what she is doing, Rachel says she continues to learn empathy and patience from her patients. Her approach to practicing medicine is to make decisions based on evidence and she wants her patients to know that she will always be their advocate. In her own words… Who is or was the most influential people/role models in your life? My parents. What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? Working at GL Perry Variety Store. It was boring and retail was not for me. What is your favorite food? Movie? Anything Thai. My favorite movie is Simon Birch. What was your best/worst subjects in school growing up? Best - English; Worst – Math If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why? Ghandi -- his passivist-approach for conflict resolution.

About Rebecca Crimmins Describing herself as a born caretaker, Rebecca Crimmins, NP, said she had the goal of a career in medicine since she was a young girl. She added that her mother, a Qualified Medication Aide (QMA), always cared for sick family members, and Rebecca was part of providing that care, too. She graduated from Ball State University, Muncie, IN, with both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner. Rebecca then worked in post- and pre-operative care as a perioperative RN and a post-anesthesia care unit RN. As a Nurse Practitioner, she helps patients improve their quality of life and their overall health status. “I love seeing a person grow and better themselves over time,” she says. “In family medicine, you get to build a relationship and help people meet their health goals.” Rebecca has learned from the people she cares for to be kind and patient, since the world of medicine is foreign to most. She hopes they see her as a warm and caring provider. In her own words… Who is or was the most influential people/role models in your life? My best friend, Emily. She always has the right answers with actions to prove it! What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? I babysat all through high school. [It was the] best job, because I have always loved caring for kids. What is your favorite food? Favorite foods: chips and salsa What was your best/worst subjects in school growing up? Best – math; worst - English If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why? My grandmother… who I was named after. I have been told I am a lot like her and she has been through many hard seasons in life. In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? Spending time and making memories with loved ones. Do you have pets? Yes, one dog named Gus-Gus. He is a crazy 7-motnh-old puppy. What is something most people don’t know about you? I am way more type A and task-oriented than I lead on. People perceive me as a very laid back.

Nurse practitioner Reba Goshert was just five years old when she decided to pursue a career in health care. “I wanted to help and care for people.” She accomplished this goal. “I started a nurse at Elkhart General Hospital working on the pediatric unit,” she explains. “I knew that I wanted to help families beyond an acute time as an inpatient, so I decided to continue my education and graduated with my pediatric nurse practitioner in 1993.” She earned her master’s degree in nursing at Indiana University and completed a post-master’s program in family practice at Graceland University. “After a period of time, I realized that I wanted to see the whole family, not just the children. I love family practice because I can serve the whole family for all of their health care needs.” “It is important to listen to your patients,” she explains. As a family nurse practitioner, she listens to patients from all walks of life. “I see patients from newborn to geriatric for all of their health care needs, including wellness exams, acute visits and chronic disease management.” In Her Own Words Who are the most influential people in your life? The most influential people in my life were my parents who showed me how to care, listen and work hard. What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? MY very first job was cleaning at the local school system. What are your hobbies, interests? I love working outside, gardening and taking walking when I am not busy on the farm. Do you have pets? We have chickens, goats and dairy feeder calves for 4-H. We have two dogs and two cats. What were your best and worst subjects in school? My best subjects in school were math and science. My worst subject was social studies.