Aimee S, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Central Maine

A Family Nurse Practitioner solves problems and finds opportunity

Working in a rural area “stretches you to learn more, be more versatile, and become a more well-rounded practitioner.”

What made you want to come to Maine?

 I am a born and raised Texas girl. I lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area my entire life – though my husband and I always found ourselves taking vacations in the mountains. We knew we wanted to live in a cooler climate. We went to Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana – but none of these places really felt like home. So, we took another road trip with the kids to New England and we fell in love. I interviewed in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine. But when I got to Maine, I called my husband from the hotel and I said, “I think we’re going to Maine.” A few months later, we packed everything up and moved here. It’s been an incredible experience. 

What makes practicing rural medicine so different from practicing in more urban areas?

One of the things I really enjoy about working in a rural area is that sense of community. Becoming part of that and being embraced has been really great. You really get to know your patients. You get to know the ins and outs of their lives, along with their health histories. It flows well into being able to provide them with the best care. 

One of the challenges of practicing in rural areas is working with the resources available to you. But it also creates the opportunity to learn a lot of different things. It stretches you as a provider to become more versatile. In a big city, it is different. You stay focused in your practice area and you refer people quite a bit. In a rural area, you have to be able to solve problems, and handle different situations right there because you might not have specialists with the availability to take all of your patients in. I’ve become a more well-rounded practitioner. 

What’s the lifestyle like in Maine?

I think it’s a simpler way of life – it’s less complicated and less hectic. Everywhere you go, there’s somewhere to explore. I think I could live here my whole life and still never see all that Maine has to offer. You can go strawberry and blueberry picking, you can go down to the river or go for hikes or nature walks. We have a list of places on our bucket list that we want to explore.

I think what’s great about Maine is you can go to the coast or you can go to the mountains. I think when people think of Maine – there’s that stereotype of lighthouses. But there’s so much more to it – it’s such a vast state. But we still have everything we need. If we want to go to a bigger city, like Boston, we’re only a few hours away. 

What has the transition been like for your family?

People have been very welcoming. I have two kids – a nine-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl. And they absolutely love Maine. We really wanted to provide them with nature and a lot of opportunities to be outdoors and experience wildlife. They have just done so well here.

The school system has been great. I feel like it’s very personalized to them, and they’ve adapted well to the change. One of the big things that we looked at was safety. Maine is one of the safest states in the U.S. and it was important to us to provide our kids with safety. Here, we find that we leave the doors unlocked and the windows open; the kids play outside, and we feel safe with them here. 

Work-life balance was one of the other things that was important to me. I’ve never missed anything – I’ve always had the opportunity to be there for my kids. People in Maine understand the value of family time and being together.