Getting to Know Rachel Pirkle with Leavitt Women’s Healthcare
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EastIdahoNews.com is highlighting hardworking people who make our local businesses a success. Every Sunday, we’re Getting to Know YOU!
1. Name, job title and company: Rachel Pirkle, certified nurse midwife at Leavitt Women’s Healthcare
2. What does your company do and what are your responsibilities? Leavitt Women’s Healthcare provides care for women experiencing acute and chronic gynecological conditions It provides pregnancy care, labor and delivery, and post-partum care. As a CNM, I can provide care for a person with gynecologic conditions and care for women with low-risk pregnancies. I can also attend births and have privileges to do so at both Mountain View Hospital and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
3. Where were you born and when is your birthday (don’t need to include year)? I was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sept. 4.
4. How long have you lived in eastern Idaho and what city do you live in now? I moved to eastern Idaho in April of 2021, and I live in Idaho Falls.
5. Tell us about your first job after high school/college. My first job after college was with Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health. At that time, I was working as a registered nurse.
6. What is the best business decision you’ve ever made? Moving to Idaho Falls to work at Leavitt Women’s Healthcare
7. Tell us about your family. We are a growing family. Right now, it is just me, my husband, and my cat, Poquito. We are expecting our first child in 2022. Our extended families live in Tennessee, and we visit often.
8. Tell us about a movie or book that has inspired you the most in life. The book, “The Baby Catcher,” by Peggy Vincent. I read this book in college while deciding what career path may be the right fit. It was the first time I was introduced to the career of a certified nurse midwife, and I immediately knew this was the career for me.
9. Tell us about a lesson you learned from a mistake you made in your career/business. Not communicating when I should have. I have learned a lot about communication in the workplace. Whether it is addressing an issue, asking for help, or asking for further clarification/education, it is an area I have grown in greatly.
10. What is a goal you hope to accomplish in the next 12 months? I hope to obtain more training in herbal, homeopathic, and holistic measures for the treatment of common women’s gynecologic conditions. This is something I have dipped my toes into, but I would love to learn more so that I can offer my patients a wide range of options.
11. What is one piece of advice you have for someone who wants to do what you’re doing? Start attending births! Gaining experience observing and supporting women in labor gives one a great introduction to the career.
12. If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Become a certified nurse midwife earlier. I worked as an RN for six years prior to starting my career as a CNM. While my time working as an RN was valuable to my current career, I wish I had pursued the additional education and started this career earlier.
13. Where is your favorite place to eat in eastern Idaho? Dee’s Kitchen
14. Tell us something surprising about yourself. I played lacrosse in High School, and I spent a lot of time in the penalty box.
15. How do you like your potatoes? Mashed potatoes
If you have an employee or co-worker who we should get to know, email rett@eastidahonews.com.