Nel starts taking patients at Liberty Medical Center

From Liberty Medical Center

Liberty Medical Center in Chester has announced Dr. Wynand Nel, a board-certified family medicine physician, has joined the staff at the center.

He said he has an enriched and diverse background, a dedication to a team-based health care philosophy, and a love for rural medicine which makes him the perfect fit for LMC and the community.

Nel is seeing patients and offering services in treatment of chronic/acute illness, preventative medicine, female health, pediatrics and geriatric care. Throughout the next couple weeks Nel and LMC will be visiting various locations across the Hi-Line communities such as the Liberty County Senior Citizen Center, Liberty County Library, Sweetgrass Lodge and various colonies.

People can watch the center's Facebook page and local bulletin boards for more information on these events so they can stop by to say hi.

People who don't have the chance to visit at any of the events can get to know a little more about Nel in the following question-and-answer from an interview or visit the center's website at http://libertymedicalcenter.org.

Where are you from?

Originally, born and raised in South Africa spent first 13 years of my life there and after that I've been kind of been all-around; Canada, the Caribbean, Chicago for four years, and last four years in Youngstown, Ohio.

What drew you to Liberty Medical Center?

Partly the community, partly the location, and partly the experiences I think I can gather here to develop myself into the physician I want to be.

Where did you go to medical school?

St. James School of Medicine in the Caribbean. I spent the first part of my med school career on an island called Bonaire and after that I finished in Chicago.

Why did you decide to become a doctor?

My father was a doctor, and so there was always a strong pull in that direction for myself. I however have always enjoyed serving people. Being able to care for people is probably the most rewarding thing one could ask for.

What attracted you to family medicine?

The honest truth, I wasn't always attracted to family medicine. When I first started medical school I wanted to be a surgeon. However through learning more about the specialties you start realizing where your interest would be most satisfied. For me following up with the patient and being able to care for patients in a holistic fashion started to take root after my own Family Medicine Rotation. Being able to care for people from the moment they are born until the moment they take their last breath, growing with them and their families, it is truly a feeling I generally don't have the words to describe. The closest I can come is fantastic - but even that leaves much unsaid.

What is your patient-care philosophy?

My patient care philosophy is fairly conservative, meaning that I tend to prescribe the minimum amount necessary of any medication. I enjoy working in a holistic team-based approach and attack any problem from several angles. Medicine has made so many strides and we have so many diagnostic tools at our disposable, and yet so much remains unknown, so it's important to me to not only rely on my medical knowledge (medications etc.), but also to use other resources (PT/OT etc.) sometimes even before medication.

People can call 759-5194 to set up care with Nel.