Diane M. Stearns, MSN, APRN

In my medical career, I’ve been a 911 dispatcher, an emergency medical technician (EMT), a paramedic, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, a flight nurse/paramedic. Now I’m an acute care nurse practitioner. This background has given me the chance to see patients through many aspects of health care and as members of my community. I work in medicine because it allows me to help return my patients to their communities and families. I like to include family in the care I give so that they can better understand the circumstances, plan, and goals of their loved one. By answering their questions and my patient’s questions, I can help reduce their stress and fears. I love seeing the positive changes in patients as they recover. The amount of effort that can go into the smallest of goals is impressive. The impact that the results of those efforts can have on patients, families, and the providers taking care of them is enormous. Big wins and little wins: that’s what keeps me going.

I split my time between family medicine and sports medicine, which includes nonsurgical care of athletic injuries and medical conditions in active people. In sports medicine, my goal is to return every patient to their active life or competitive sport as soon as possible, or help them explore alternatives if they cannot safely get back right away. I enjoy converting confusing or complex symptoms into a clear and well-explained diagnosis, then finding and facilitating the best treatment plan for that patient. Outside of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center I have been a team physician with US Rowing for more than 25 years, including at the 2008 Olympics, and I am the current head team physician for Dartmouth College.