By Dr. James Gallant:
I was inspired to enter the medical field after working as a nurse’s aid on the 4th floor at KSB after high school in 1978. I was in awe of the nurses that I worked with, Lynetta Rowley, Rose Moss, Marilyn Devine, Elsie Callahan and Martha Sommers, to name a few. I worked with all of the physicians whose portraits now hang on the wall on the first floor, and admired their professionalism and compassionate care shown to every patient. I loved the feeling of being helpful: checking vital signs, answering call lights, passing meal trays, assisting with feeding, walking, bathing, and in those days, we even gave back massages with warmed lotion to all of the patients at bedtime!
The Human Anatomy and Physiology class at Sauk Valley Community College, taught by Ms. Weller, changed my career path from engineering to medicine. I got my biochemistry degree and met Sue, the love of my life at UW-Madison, then received my medical degree from SIU School of Medicine.
After completing medical school, I finished my residency in Family Medicine in Rockford. I worked for two years at Crusader Clinic in Rockford, where I practiced all facets of inpatient and outpatient family medicine for the indigent population of Rockford. An opportunity to work in the emergency department opened up, and with that schedule I was able to spend more time at home with my growing family.
In 2000, I took over Dr. Kwale’s practice at Edwards Clinic while she was on maternity leave. I also assisted with the practices of Dr. Don Edwards, Dr. Tim Appenheimer, Dr. Rifaqat Khan, and Dr. Pranjal Agrawal. In 2004, Darryl Vandervort, the CEO of KSB at that time, asked me to work as a medical advocate in a special program (I.H.A.P.) to assist KSB employees who were experiencing multiple medical problems and facing difficulties. The team was very successful in addressing the barriers to good health and reversing the downward spiral caused by illness, and we brought the program to CGH Medical Center, SwedishAmerican Hospital and other organizations in Rockford, Havana, IL, Terre Haute, IN and South Bend, IN.
In 2010, we moved to Texas to help a friend get a private practice up and running. During that time, I was in touch with Dr. Ortman, the medical director of the emergency department. There was a need to cover some shifts in the emergency department, and I began flying back once a month to work several days in a row. I went full-time when we moved back to the area in 2015.
I’ve enjoyed my career at KSB and now at OSF, thanks to the fabulous people I’ve worked with; they are like extended family members. I met these great people in the outpatient clinics in Amboy, Ashton, Oregon, Town Square Centre and the emergency department and in the laboratory, radiology, dietary, housekeeping, maintenance, human resources and administration departments. I feel fortunate to have had such an awesome “extended family”!
When I retire, I hope to work on my long list of projects around the house and to travel with my wife to see our daughters more often (two out of three live out of state). I hope to finally finish a novel I’ve been writing since 2000 and catch enough fish to make a meal!
The motto I hope my patients remember is, take care of your body; it’s a gift from God!
To those in the beginning stages of their medical career I wish you well and offer you a bit of advice; be patient, look out for the good of others and do your best and joyfully embrace the challenges the medical field presents to you.
Thank you to all who made my medical career so rewarding!