A REWARDING CAREER HELPING PEOPLE AS A SURGEON

ONE OF DR. BIERMAN’S MOST REWARDING MOMENTS WAS GRADUATING FROM RESIDENCY, KNOWING HE WAS RETURNING TO THE AREA TO LAUNCH HIS MEDICAL CAREER.

A REWARDING CAREER

HELPING PEOPLE AS A SURGEON

LAKE LAND surgery. Patients come in with a problem. I fix it. They go home. It’s COLLEGE IS very rewarding to see that almost A PLACE FOR immediate difference.” LEARNING as well as self-discovery, and Dr. Todd Bierman, Laker Nation Class of 2008, did just that during his time here. Initially intending to major in engineering, it was during Bierman’s time at Lake Land Bierman praised Lake Land for being a stepping stone in his career path as well as allowing him to get involved in different programs such as Student Ambassadors while still having fun with his friends. College that his interest shifted to medicine. “There are always tons of things to do,“ Bierman said. “It’s just a neat Now working as a general surgeon at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, Bierman said he is glad to be back home. Having joined the surgical staff in September 2019, Bierman said his surgery schedule had just started to pick up when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Even in such unusual circumstances however, Bierman said he has no trouble staying atmosphere. It made my transition much easier, and it allowed me to build my resume. It’s not just medicine, it’s any career path that you choose. A junior college is more affordable. It’s usually closer to home. It’s more of a community feel where everyone cares about each other, and everyone wants to see you succeed. It’s probably one of the smartest decisions I made in my academic career.” “IT’S SO EASY TO STAY MOTIVATED WHEN I LOVE motivated in his work. COMING IN TO WORK AND SEEING PATIENTS. Continuing to praise Lake Land, “When I’m on call there are still things that come in that I need to I’M VERY FORTUNATE THAT MOST OF THE TIME WHEN I’M HELPING PATIENTS, I CAN SEE A Bierman expressed his appreciation for Chemistry Instructor Greg Capitosti. take care of,” Bierman said. “It helps that I love what I do. That’s part of the reason I chose this career. It’s not monotonous. Every day is different. It’s so easy to stay motivated when I love coming in to work and seeing patients. I’m very fortunate that most of the time when I’m helping patients, I can see a tangible difference. “I had (Capitosti) pretty much the entire time I was at Lake Land,” Bierman said. “The classes I had with him were hard, but he made them enjoyable. When I think of any of my teachers from college, it’s him that stood out. I liked his teaching style. He took something that was so hard and made it enjoyable.” TANGIBLE DIFFERENCE.” -BIERMAN That’s kind of the beauty of Bierman said one of his most rewarding moments was when he graduated from residency. Having already signed a contract to work at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center one year before completing residency, Bierman said it was a good feeling knowing he already had a job lined up and was going home.

No stranger to the area, Bierman grew up on a farm near Dieterich. Graduating from Newton High School in 2006, he enrolled at Lake Land College where his career journey began. Earning an associate degree in biology, Bierman went on to graduate from Saint Louis University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He then completed a rural medicine program through the University of Illinois Chicago and did residency for five years at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama.

“I’ve had a lot of other physicians approach me having seen that I attended Lake Land College and say ‘I saw that you went to a junior college, can you convince my kids that it’s okay to go to a junior college and not straight to a four-year university?’” Bierman said. “I’m always like ‘SURE!’ The amount of money I saved and the experiences and study habits I gained helped push me through to where I am now.”