Publication

Caring, loving people and expertise in medical care—it's all wrapped up into one career for Crystal Florek, ARNP. Florek is one of Arbor Health's newest medical providers. She recently took on the dual role of being a provider in the Rapid Care Clinic as well as in women's health in the Specialty Clinic (both located within the Morton Clinic building).

Florek got her start in medicine when hired as a registered nurse at the PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview in 2013. In her eight-year nursing career, Florek worked mostly in emergency services—which, of course, brought a wide range of illnesses and injuries her way. However, it didn't take her long to decide that she wanted to advance beyond the role of registered nurse and become a medical provider herself.

"I went back to school to become an ARNP (advanced registered nurse practitioner) because I love helping people and loved my career as an RN," Florek recalls. "I also consider myself a lifelong learner, always wanting to do better and stay current."

She explained that her approach to patient care in family medicine, women's health and emergency care is based on helping her patients make the best health care decisions for themselves that they can. "The most rewarding thing I find about being a medical provider is shared decision making," she says. "I like allowing my patients to have some autonomy with their care, as each patient has individual needs and health care goals."

Florek is one of the medical providers in the new Rapid Care Clinic, which is open Friday–Monday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. This walk-in clinic functions much like an urgent care and is designed to provide medical services for the patient with an illness or injury that does not require an emergency room visit but can't wait for an appointment with their primary care provider.

On other days, Florek works in women's health in the Morton Clinic—the same building, the same exam rooms, just a different mix of patients.

"When I'm not working, I'm most likely on an adventure with my three kids," she says. "I love the outdoors, hiking, fishing and backpacking—it's what was so appealing about this area. It's a giant playground here."

Categories: New Providers