IM resident knows Emplify Health is the place for her

IM resident knows Emplify Health is the place for her

Jordan Shortreed knew since high school that she was interested in medicine - just not the kind that helped humans.

The Mondovi, Wis., native loved animals, and at every chance she got, she'd take an animal science class and work or volunteer at local veterinarian clinics. So, naturally, she was drawn to pre-veterinary science, which she pursued after high school at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

But then, three-and-a-half years into her undergrad, something changed.

"I was wondering how things were working in a person instead of an animal, so that's when I kind of realized I should probably consider other specialties or other paths," Jordan says with a laugh. "It was cooler to be able to have a patient that talks back to me and being able to work with people and form a connection that way. It thought that was more special and what I wanted to do with my life."

And that's just what she'll do. On June 25, Jordan will complete her three-year Internal Medicine residency program at Emplify Health by Gundersen. And like many other IM residents who've worked in and come to know the system, she doesn't plan on going anywhere.

Small hospital, personal feel

Luckily, nearly all of Jordan's pre-veterinary credits transferred to her new pre-med program, so she could continue with medical school without missing a beat. That experience took her to the Caribbean for a year and Chicago for another.

Then it was time to apply to residency programs. When considering what she was looking for in a residency, Jordan says she wanted a hospital that was big enough to provide a variety of patients with a variety of diseases and exposures, as well as several different specialty options. But she didn't want the hospital to be too big.

"I also wanted it to be a small enough hospital where people remembered me and I wasn't just lost in the crowd, so I could form connections with co-workers, too," she says. "I love the feeling of walking down a hall and seeing somebody I know and being able to say hey, how are you doing?

"Those were two big things, and that's exactly what I got here."

Jordan interviewed with 10 programs all around the country, but she ranked Emplify Health by Gundersen her top choice. She said her interview process here went well, noting that during her interview, she was asked more about herself than medicine - a surprising but welcomed interaction.

"I interviewed with really good people and talked with all the residents, and they told me about their experience in the residency program," Jordan says. "I just loved everything they said."

And Jordan liked that La Crosse was near her hometown of Mondovi. She loves the family friendly feeling she gets when she's out enjoying the downtown area or the natural beauty of the Coulee Region. She's glad her impression of the city matched up with her impression of Emplify Health by Gundersen.

"I loved that the residents seemed very happy," she says. "With working as many hours as we do, it just was great to hear them talk about how nice the staff was, how much they're actually learning and how interactive they are, and how many opportunities they have to learn new things and get in on procedures. That was really important to me."

Jordan has also relished the opportunity to do rotations in other specialties, too - not just internal medicine. So, although she's not going into these other areas, she can at least see what the flow of those departments is like.

"I also learned how important it is to be really helpful and nice to the nursing staff and the techs and everyone else because they're the ones carrying the load with the patients all day," she says.

'I'm very, very excited'

Jordan says the residency program at Emplify Health by Gundersen is not competitive, in the sense that everyone lifts each other up and supports one another.

"I think that's really important in a residency program, especially when we're here 80 hours a week some weeks," she says. "That's been amazing, and that's one thing I love about the residency program here, is that I've never felt that I was in competition."

And the entire staff has been supportive. They remember the residents and are happy to answer questions - and even encourage them. That support she's felt - from her interview just to get into the program to everyone she's worked with - made her decision after graduation an easy one.

Jordan has signed on to stay at Emplify Health by Gundersen. She'll have clinic hours in La Crosse and Onalaska, and she'll be a hospitalist for the teaching teams.

"I'm very, very excited," she says. "I've formed a lot of connections, I love the flow of things here, and I just feel very supported here. And I love that in the future, I get to work with the residents, too."