by Connor Welsh, MD
I am glad to see that this award exists, and I’d like to nominate Dr. Jarrad Utter (Mercy Health in Sparta). He’s not only the best FM preceptor I’ve ever met, but one of the most phenomenal doctors (and people) I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. Dr. Utter works tirelessly, with a difficult patient population, to provide compassionate and complete care to his patients, all while making sure the medical students who work with him have a thorough learning experience. He has a wonderful demeanor: always smiling, always joking, always the life of the office. I’ve seen him jump through hoops and spend hours working to get patients without insurance the care they need. I’ve seen him call insurance companies after his shift to advocate for his patients’ needs. I saw him take charge of the office during the height of coronavirus, taking over responsibilities that weren’t his originally so that others could be home and safe. He was one of the first doctors at Mercy who volunteered to go work hospitalist shifts to help with the staffing crisis, offering to be put at the front of the list so that older doctors more susceptible to coronavirus may be able to avoid
going in.
His teaching style is inspiring, and he has cultivated a challenge-by-choice environment, encouraging students to take on more responsibility, generate differentials and plans for every patient, and perform procedures. While very busy, with Dr. Utter every time is a time to learn, and he will stop what he is doing to teach the nuances of a point whenever asked. And this expands beyond simple medical knowledge related to FM. He has no issue spending 30 minutes after his shift was supposed to be over to talk about career advice, financial planning, anything. And I’ve taken him up on all of it.
Working with Dr. Utter not only taught me how to be a better physician, but also a better person. He more than deserves this award. I’ll never forget having the privilege to work with him, and even though I’m going into a different field than FM, his example informs my vision of the doctor I want to be.
Dr. Jarrad Utter and the staff of MHPP-Sparta.
