Sarah Rebecca Hartmann, CNP

As a gastroenterologist, detecting and preventing colon cancer is a priority for me. Colon cancer rates are higher than they were years ago, especially in younger patients. It's important to have someone who cares for you like a family member.

I became a doctor because of my sense of responsibility for patients. It's also one of the most selfless jobs. Doctors think about patients more than patients may know. The job really does require someone willing to be selfless. I like that aspect of it. I'm interested in general gastroenterology. Colon cancer screening, as we see from the changes in age recommendations, is on the uptrend and rising. Mercy does a great job of caring for IBD patients, and we can extend that to colon cancers. We're finding cancers earlier, in younger populations. Colon cancer screening, if done correctly at the right intervals, is the one test that lets you prevent the development of cancer. Getting those polyps out is incredibly important. And it's a very safe and simple procedure. I want patients to know I love my work and being a gastroenterologist. I enjoy listening to them and thinking through their problems with them. Beyond performing the procedures, that's what I enjoy the most.

Electrophysiology has been around for years, but mostly it was just a diagnostic field. They couldn't do anything. I really hit the wave perfectly. Ablations really came on in the early 90s, when I was in residency and fellowship. I was in the room the first time an ablation was done at Barnes. The timing was just right. Implantable defibrillators also became much more common when I was in training and getting into practice, so I really hit it perfectly and its just been an incredibly busy and satisfying career.