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Doctor there when patients need him most

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Contributed by: Deborah Gosling on 3/20/2008

Editor's note: Visit our Faces of South Metro page, where YourHub.com staff and readers can introduce you to more people who make this part of the metro area what it is.

The drive in to work is an easy one except for the bright sun rising on the horizon. This and the cup of coffee are what help Alan Schultz, DO, arrive to work on time. The day has just begun at 7:30 in the morning and he feels extraordinarily tired, not from the early morning, but from his last shift that lasted for 30 hours and was sleepless. The hard night before all but evaporates when he sees his first of five patients that morning.

"I absolutely love my job and am blessed everyday I get the ability to be a part of peoples' lives in the moments of most need," says Dr. Schultz.

His first patient is an elderly lady who is very talkative and needed an ear to listen more than anything modern medicine had to offer. Her condition is improving and after an hour discussion that covered everything from her new medication regimen, to how she loved to dance, to how much she misses her husband she said, "thank you for taking care of me, and listening to an old lady."

As he leaves the room, he has a big smile on his face and asks a nurse, "Don't we have the best job out there?"

The scars of his sleepless nights now completely gone, hidden so well that no one would know the depth of his fatigue, he shares similar experiences, laughs and great medicine with the next four patients.

A Denver native, Dr. Schultz went to Colorado Christian University. During this time he developed his love for medicine and people as a Denver General (now Denver Health) Emergency Room volunteer. Afterwards, he took a few years off to gain experience and travel.

"Getting into medical school was the happiest day of my life," he says.

Since then it has all but been a blur of studying, learning and great people. After graduating medical school, he started his training as a family practice resident at Swedish Family Medicine Residency in Littleton.

"It's tough to go through the hours that we work, but when you are surrounded by great people it makes it a wonderful experience," he explains.

At lunchtime he sits and listens to a lecture from a local cardiologist titled, "The treatment of Non-STEMI's in the acute setting." The food is great considering he regularly misses meals not by want, but by the needs of his patients and their families.

Finishing up his day at the clinic, the second year resident sees another nine patients. In the later half of the afternoon, he will see everything from the common cold, to life-threatening illness, requiring immediate intervention. After seeing his patients the new physician will call back patients with lab work or test results and ultimately head home around 7pm, all to start again the next morning.

Deborah Gosling is the Public Relations & Marketing Manager for Swedish Medical Center.

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Showing 1 of 1 comments

Submitted By: T Schultz

posted on 3/28/2008 @ 1:12:26 PM

Rated Story

Great story about an incredible physician making a difference! (And he's my brother.)

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