Michelle Lynn Ellenburg, APRN - Mercy Clinic Primary Care-North May

Medicine has always been a passion of mine. Since I was young, I've always had this curiosity and always had this need to help others and really found my passion about 10 years ago and went into nursing. I have been a nurse ever since. I chose the specialty of gerontology while I was working as a home health nurse with Mercy. And so I got to know these patients and really discovered my passion for the lives of these patients, 65 and older, and felt like there was a need out here for practitioners that really focus on this age group. I want my patients to know that the type of care they're going to get with me is more of a partnership. I want them to feel heard. I want them to feel as if they've got someone in their corner willing to guide and educate and be there to help them make those correct choices and those right choices for their life.

I enjoy building strong relationships with my patients. I love learning about their families and what they enjoy doing, which really helps me treat them better. I love the wide range of things you see in family medicine. It's challenging but also rewarding to help patients in the different aspects of their health care.