Why This Doctor Chose Wound Care

As a doctor of osteopathic medicine, I’m often asked why it is that I chose the field of wound care as my practice specialty. I’ve given various answers, but the simplest one seems to be, “because it’s where I fit.” My academic journey to this point has taken numerous twists and turns. I started my undergrad program at West Virginia University thinking that I wanted to be a forensic chemist. Before long, I also became interested in massage therapy and epidemiology. As my confusion grew, I decided to transfer to the State University of New York at Buffalo to be closer to home. There, I started working on my bachelor’s of science in exercise science and continued on to a master’s in nutrition. While working on my thesis, two professors suggested that I research osteopathic medicine for my future. I thought, I might as well give it a try. Soon afterwards, I was enrolling in medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, where I began my studies in the summer of 2010. At that time, I was certain I wanted to be a surgeon. Initially, I thought I would be an orthopedic surgeon, until I lost interest and wanted to be a vascular surgeon. During my third year of med school I married my wonderful husband Geoff and realized that having kids was what I wanted. I also knew that having kids and being a surgeon at the same time did not seem appealing. I was getting very close to the deadline for making “grown-up” decisions about my future, and I finally decided that the field of family medicine would be a good fit for me. I had previously completed multiple clinical rotations at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo during my third and fourth years of med school and had always held some interest in the residency program there. (After all, I was a Western New York girl, and working where I grew up meant I could wear my Buffalo Bills attire whenever I felt like it, without judgement!) The physician faculty at the hospital must have seen something special in me because they granted me a position in the traditional rotation internship, which I entered in 2014. I was accepted into the osteopathic family medicine residency program at year’s end, a time that I really enjoyed spending with those patients and facing the challenges that this area of care presents. The opportunity would be a true blessing, but there was still something missing from my life and career. There seemed to be part of my potential that hadn’t quite been tapped yet.  

So there I sat, a second-year resident, pondering the meaning of my career at the same time as I was trying to coordinate my electives for the year. I had the list of approved elective sites in front of me when I came across the magical words “wound care.” I thought about it and realized that the staff at my residency clinic seemed to always schedule me with patients who lived with abscesses and open wounds because they knew how passionate I was for that line of care. All of a sudden, the thought of doing an entire rotation with that patient population really fascinated me. A twinge of excitement began to stir, and so I decided to follow those feeling of intrigue.

MY DAYS AT THE WOUND CLINIC

Like every other first day of any rotation I’ve ever experienced, I was a little nervous. I was even more anxious knowing that I had, up until that point, never actually been in a wound clinic before; so I really did not know what to expect. I quickly decided that the best approach would be to keep an open mind and be my bubbly, somewhat quirky, self. I introduced myself to the nurses and Dr. Lee Ruotsi, MD, FACCWS, UHM, medical director at Catholic Health Advanced Wound Healing Centers and director of the wound care fellowship at Catholic Health System. Everyone was so busy with their patients that I felt like the only way to avoid “being in the way” would be to dive right in. I saw an amazing variety of venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers. I saw a total contact cast be cut off and reapplied. I watched as wound beds were debrided and calluses were trimmed. I asked questions and learned about the different forms of compression therapy and offloading shoes that the patients required. I observed as patients received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and as their synthetic skin substitutes were applied. My eyes felt as if they were the size of saucers all day! With Dr. Ruotsi’s guidance and encouragement, I felt like I was able to immediately get the fulfilling type of exposure I was looking for.

By the end of the two-week rotation, I was convinced that I had found something I could be passionate about for an entire career. Now, to be fair, I have become enamored with certain areas of medicine in the past, only to see those feelings go by the wayside as I embarked on new experiences (as I’ve alluded to already in this article). Aside from orthopedic and vascular surgery, I had true interest in sports medicine before losing interest. But this wound clinic experience was and is different. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the great things I had seen and learned about during that rotation. My very non-medical husband would often find himself listening to me describe my days filled with different wound colors, drainage, odor, and locations. He not only supported me but encouraged me to pursue this passion I had developed. I found myself reading more related articles and conducting my own research. I wanted to know more. I needed to know more! When my two weeks had ended, I asked if it were acceptable to return in a few months, and was granted permission. That made me feel as if I had made a good enough impression, which only further increased my interest in this field and helped validate that this was the line of work best suited to me. 

NEARING FULL-TIME WOUND CARE

Thus began my unquestioned dedication for the field of wound care. As I worked my way through the rest of my second year of residency, I scheduled two more rotations with Dr. Ruotsi and asked him for guidance as I considered the prospects of dedicating my career to this area of medicine. I’ll never forget the satisfaction he expressed as he suggested the initiation of a fellowship program, a program that I am now officially part of. To be in this position is the most unbelievably rewarding answer I could have hoped to receive. Dr. Ruotsi and his amazing team spent the next year planning the fellowship, and I began my contract last July. As a fellow, I work in the capacity of a wound care physician, but with the guidance and tutelage of a wonderful team of doctors and allied health clinicians. I see patients in our two outpatient clinics daily. I am often onsite at any of the five hospitals in our system to see patients for wound care management and HBOT consults. With this ongoing article series for Today’s Wound Clinic, I will document my experiences and share them with readers, my peers, who have my highest admiration. 

Jill Eysaman-Walker is an attending physician at Catholic Health working out of St. Joseph Hospital, Cheektowaga, NY, and Mount St. Mary's Hospital, Lewiston, NY.  She lives in the region with her husband and two young children.