Local Nurse Practitioner Achieves Life-Long Dream of Being a Medical Professional In Hometown
Photographer / Jubilee Edgell
Since she was very young, Liz Moerman knew that she wanted to help people by working in the medical field. Her fervor for helping others was no phase — Liz carried her passion with her throughout her education. In middle school, her father became ill, and Moerman promised him that she would become a doctor. Unfortunately, he was unable to see her achieve her dreams, but Liz accomplished her goals anyway, working today as a Family Nurse Practitioner at the Knox-Winamac Community Health Center.
“When I turned 16, I took the Certified Nursing Assistant classes and gained experience with the sick and the elderly,” Moerman says. “I worked at a local nursing home until I was 18 and able to obtain a position at my community hospital. I worked at the hospital long enough to gain experience and get through my first year of college. After I got through pharmacology, I was able to obtain a Qualified Medical Assistant certificate and I practiced for the remaining time of college at a local nursing home, passing medications to the elderly. As time went on, I never gave up on the ‘little girl’s dream,’ and I obtained the desired education to become an associate degree RN. While working full time, I continued with my education and obtained my bachelor’s degree.”
After becoming a nurse, Moerman moved all throughout the hospital, working in various wings: medical-surgical, surgery, critical care, pediatrics, and case management. Her true love as a nurse, though, came in the emergency department.
Later, Moerman decided to go back to school. With four children, though, medical school seemed almost totally impossible. Instead, she followed the path to becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner.
“My youngest son was born one week prior to graduation, during finals week,” she says. “I did what I had to do and took some of my finals while I was in the hospital with my newborn. I’ve overcome a lot of challenges in my life but going through grad school with a family, and pregnant has been one of the most challenging times of my life. I’m lucky to have had a supportive husband who stood by me through it all and picked up all my slack. I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Growing up in the area, Moerman says she gets chills working in the same place she spent time as a child, so fascinated by the doctors.
“My goal is to care for my patients [to the] best of my ability. Being a provider in my hometown is an honor to me that I will cherish and grow with,” Moerman explains. “That is why I chose to be a nurse practitioner and spend my life helping others, caring for them, and earning their trust while they trust me with their lives.”
Liz Moerman is a Family Nurse Practitioner at the Knox-Winamac Health Center. It is located at 1002 Edgewood Drive in Knox. You can schedule an appointment by giving them a call at 574-772-6030.