Samantha Creel, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

From the ICU to whole-person care: “I’ve been in healthcare since early 2017, starting my nursing career in the Trauma ICU. Between providing traveling care and my work in the ICU, I’ve had a front-row seat to just how fragile, and valuable, life is. I went on to gain experience in primary care and medspa settings, where I worked with BHRT and a more holistic approach to health.”

Giving life back: “One patient who stays with me was a woman in her early 40s who’d had a hysterectomy and was struggling with intense menopausal symptoms. It was affecting her marriage, her relationship with her kids, and her entire quality of life. When we started replacing her hormones, she cried and told me she never knew it was possible to feel this good again. She said I gave her life back. Moments like that remind me why this work matters so much.”

The whole story matters: “I always start visits with, ‘tell me what you’ve been told and what’s been going on—don’t leave anything out.’ I believe patients deserve to be seen and heard, and I want them to feel confident that I’m determined to help and will do everything in my power to do so.”

One life, no settling: “My ICU background taught me we only get one life. You should enjoy it. You should never ‘just deal with it.’”