Heather Dawn Burns, APRN

I like general surgery because I like to fix things and see my patients get better after a procedure. In a small town, you pretty much get to do it all, which is nice. I enjoy doing endoscopies, hernias, colon resections and more. I love getting to know my patients and developing a rapport with them.

I became a nurse because it's a passion and a calling. I believe God called me to become a nurse and then a nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners have knowledge like doctors but also the bedside manner of nurses. That that makes it more personalized and special for patients. My favorite part of being a nurse practitioner is building a trusting relationship and rapport with your patients-listening to them and meeting their spiritual and mental well-being as well as physical. I like being the person they can go to and trust to provide the best care for them. I establish relationships with patients by listening to them. In the rush of health care, they can feel like a number, but I want them to feel like a person. I want them to know I really do care about you and what you're going through and dealing with. I'll provide up-to-date evidence-based care. I believe it's my calling to be the hands and feet of Jesus to patients.

I was young when I decided to go into medicine. I would visit my grandfather every day in the nursing home. I enjoyed being around people and decided I wanted to take care of people like him. In geriatric medicine I continue to focus on quality of life and how best to manage symptoms. Part of my passion is serving people at the very end of the live and helping to ease that passing or that journey through a difficult illness.