GETTING TO KNOW A BHC DOCTOR
Denise Freidel, MD
Family Practice, Boone Medical Group-Centralia
I
was born in Maryville, Mo. I played college basketball at Missouri Western State University in St. Joe, where I did pre-med and obtained a biology and math major with a chemistry minor. I attended medical school in Des Moines, Iowa at the University of Health Services. I met my husband at medical school – we have five beautiful children and three amazing grandchildren.
Why did you get into the health care field? I have always known I wanted both to be a physician and to marry a physician. I started rounding with my mentors, a husband-and-wife doctor team in eighth grade. I have always enjoyed helping others. What interested you in your particular specialty? I love family practice. I like to know each of my patients as a person. Doing family practice allows me to take care of all ages and to be with my patients through different stages of their lives. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? Every day brings new challenges in medicine. It is rewarding to be a part of a person’s life and to help them feel and be the best they can be. What is the most challenging aspect of your job? The most challenging aspect of the job is doing paperwork. I would much rather spend time with my patient than worry about documents. What do you see changing in health care in the next 5 to 10 years? Health care, unfortunately, is very dependent on politics. Hopefully, medicine will become more affordable and care more obtainable. What advice would you give someone looking to become a doctor? I tend to advise young adults who have an interest in medicine to pursue being a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I dedicate my time to my family. We all enjoy sports and we follow whichever kid is playing a sport during different seasons. Through
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BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER
Spring 2020
the years, I have also enjoyed coaching. We will have five kids in college next year, so it’ll be time to chase new endeavors. What advice would you give to someone who is going to be a patient in a hospital for a period of time? If you are going to be in the hospital for a long time, it is wise to have an advocate who can help you keep track of coordination of care.
