Janet Merrell, who had been practicing medicine at Bingham Memorial Hospital‚Äö?Ñ?¥s rural outpost clinic in Shelley, started filling in at the Challis clinic in November and accepted the full-time job offer here in December.

Merrell joins Physician Assistant (PA) Ken Hyatt and replaces NP Helen Winegarner, who has retired from full-time duties, but still calls Challis home and will be available to fill in on a part-time basis.

It seems only natural that Merrell, 32, would become a health care provider, because her mother was also a Nurse Practitioner and her father was a veterinarian in her hometown Montpelier, Idaho.

Many might ask, why take a job at a small, isolated rural clinic? Merrell‚Äö?Ñ?¥s answer boils down to: ‚Äö?Ñ??You can take the girl out of the country but you can‚Äö?Ñ?¥t take the country out of the girl.‚Äö?Ñ??

After working all over the country, from Washington, D.C. to Arizona and Dillingham, Alaska, Merrell prefers rural areas. She enjoyed the independence of practicing bush medicine in Alaska.

So, while Challis is a bit more isolated than Montpelier, Merrell is confident she can adjust. She admits to being a bit ‚Äö?Ñ??freaked out‚Äö?Ñ?? about being 150 miles from the nearest shopping mall, but she enjoys the outdoors and the people she‚Äö?Ñ?¥s met here.

‚Äö?Ñ??I love small towns and the

down-home attitude of people...basic, good people you do not get anywhere else. I love the people in Challis.‚Äö?Ñ??

Besides her NP certification, Merrell has a dual master‚Äö?Ñ?¥s degree in family practice and community public health from the University of Virginia, specialties she studied for the sole purpose of becoming a practitioner of rural medicine. As such, she is very familiar with how to tap into the medical resources of larger cities to help her rural patients with cradle to grave healthcare.

Merrell also did a volunteer stint with a team of California-based medical professionals, traveling to third world countries in South America and elsewhere to provide free health care to those in need. She speaks Spanish fluently and accepts all patients.

Nurse vs. NP

People are still confused about the difference between a nurse and a Nurse Practitioner. Being a NP is analogous to having a doctor and a nurse rolled into the same person.

As mid-level providers, Nurse Practioners (NP) like Merrell and PAs like Hyatt have a similar level of training and responsibility. Neither is an M.D. and both are under the supervision of Dr. Richard Paris at the clinic.

With her NP certification, Merrell is not required to be supervised and can practice independently, but she likes being part of the team and having Dr. Paris‚Äö?Ñ?¥ support, as well as that of St. Luke‚Äö?Ñ?¥s Wood River Medical Center.

Dr. Paris is very patient-focused, a good teacher, is down-to-earth and doesn‚Äö?Ñ?¥t treat people like numbers, which is becoming rare in today‚Äö?Ñ?¥s society, Merrell said. ‚Äö?Ñ??He has confidence in and supports us,‚Äö?Ñ?? Merrell said. ‚Äö?Ñ??I‚Äö?Ñ?¥m accepted as part of the team.‚Äö?Ñ?? Although Challis is rural and isolated, ‚Äö?Ñ??you are not left hanging.‚Äö?Ñ?? While there are no CAT scanners or MRIs at the clinic, and it takes awhile to get Xrays and blood tests back, local patients understand and tend to be more, well, patient.

She felt ‚Äö?Ñ??blown away‚Äö?Ñ?? and fit right in when clinic administrator Kate Taylor interviewed her. ‚Äö?Ñ??This is the perfect job,‚Äö?Ñ?? Merrell said.

Background

From 1996 to 2007, Merrell worked her way up through nursing ranks to the top, becoming a Registered Nurse. She worked in all areas, from surgery to orthopedics to general and emergency medicine. She‚Äö?Ñ?¥s also been an EMT for a long time.

Merrell became a Nurse Practitioner in 2007. As such, she practices medicine with a nursing twist, which Merrell describes as more patient-focused than the traditional model. A NP works with patients as a team and helps design a healthcare plan that people are able to follow, which fits their lifestyles.

Her nursing background helps Merrell tune into patients‚Äö?Ñ?¥ needs and relieve their suffering. As a NP she does things nurses don‚Äö?Ñ?¥t do, such as diagnosing and treating minor and major illnesses, doing minor surgery and prescribing medications.

Merrell has to maintain half a dozen different licenses and keep her training up to date with continuing medical education. Within a few years, new NPs will need a doctorate to practice medicine, she said.

Bio

Merrell, who is single, describes herself as both an outdoors and indoors girl. She enjoys everything from camping and fishing to cooking, quilting, sewing, reading and just watching TV.

‚Äö?Ñ??I‚Äö?Ñ?¥m excited about this job,‚Äö?Ñ?? Merrell said. ‚Äö?Ñ??I get to work with and for great people. That‚Äö?Ñ?¥s a great combination. Could there be a better position out there? No.‚Äö?Ñ??