It takes a strong, connected network of dedicated healthcare professionals to make health possible for all of East Central Indiana. From administrative staff to surgeons, from doctors to nurses, from volunteers to long-time employees, everyone has their role and everyone works together.
Angela Trackwell, a family medicine nurse practitioner, has been making health possible for her patients for over ten years, three of which with Hancock Health. Spend a day in the life with Angela Trackwell, and hear all about her favorite parts of the job.
Q: Hey, Angela! So, tell us a little bit about what a day in the life of your job looks like.
A: When patients come to our office, I’m one of the first people they’ll talk to. I ask them what brings them to the office, assess their needs, and discuss a treatment plan as needed based on what they’re looking for. Whether they’re sick, dealing with pain, or have any other health concerns, I can help! I also see patients for general wellness visits, which involves screening for health conditions, talking about diet and exercise, and all the things they need to live healthy lives.
Q: Wow! You do a lot. Do you have a favorite part of your job?
A: Hands down, the best part of my job is getting to know the people we care for. It’s the stories behind what brings them to our offices and the people they are outside our office that are so meaningful to me. We get to care for and love people every day, and that’s something we don’t take for granted.
Q: You must have a lot of really good memories with your patients.
A: I do! I met a patient recently when I was filling in at another office. He came in for a physical that should have taken less than 30 minutes, but we found a lot of problems along the way, including some scary blood pressure readings. After discussing this with the patient, he knew his blood pressure was high but felt otherwise fine, so he never got it treated. After a long discussion, we continued to work together to treat his blood pressure and work on lifestyle changes and goals for him. Today, his blood pressure and other conditions are controlled, and he is feeling better than he had felt in a long time. He told me a few weeks ago he quit smoking, and he was so happy! He has made so many positive changes since we met a few months back, and I’m so proud of him and grateful I could help him make healthy life choices.
Q: That’s so awesome! How is being a nurse practitioner different from, say, a registered nurse or a doctor? It sounds like you’re pretty involved in patient care.
A: Definitely. Nurse practitioners start off as nurses, and we have a unique opportunity there to get to know patients and understand their journeys and how we can support them. Nurse practitioners, however, have additional education in a specialized field of care. For example, I’m a family nurse practitioner, which means I can take care of patients from life to death based on my educational background. Currently in Indiana, NPs are supported by a doctor and work in collaboration to care for patients, but we can work in many different settings depending on what educational path we chose to focus on.
Q: And what made you choose this path?
A: Family medicine called to me because I feel like I have the most opportunity here to make the most impact on a person’s overall health and life. I love that I can meet someone as a child or young adult and work with them as their provider well into adulthood. I get to spend every day helping patients, and work together to find the care plan that’s right for them.
I think what is special about Hancock Health is we’re big enough to offer a lot of great services to the patient, but small enough to know most people that we work with in the network. When we refer to a specialty area here, we can get those records more efficiently, which means more seamless care for the patient.
Thanks for all you do, Angela!
DE 
EN 
ES 
FR 
ZH 
JA