Dr. Schenk: Caring for Our Community

Nicholas Schenk, MD, strives to provide quality care for the whole family. He delivers care for newborns, adolescents, adults and older adults (geriatric care), and provides women's health care at all stages of life, including pregnancy.

Dr. Schenk is proud to provide primary care for patients close to home in Monroe; every day he performs his best work so his patients can live their best lives.

When did you know you wanted to go into medicine?

I don’t have a particular event or time that I can recall in which I decided to go into medicine. I can tell you that there are pictures of me dressed as a doctor many Halloweens starting in about the third grade. I was always service-minded, participating in many service projects through scouts and my church growing up. I think that just evolved into wanting to help people through medicine.

What drew you to family medicine?

My interest in family medicine evolved over time. When I first started medical school, I actually thought I was going to be a researcher and do very little bedside medicine. As I moved into my clinical rotations in medical school, it became very clear to me that although the science of medicine was exciting, it was the relationships that I really enjoyed.

Family medicine prioritizes these relationships and allows me to care for whole families – moms, dads, children and grandparents. I also went to fellowship so that I could do obstetrics as part of my family medicine practice. This allows me to further develop close bonds with my patients, helping them through pregnancy and then caring for their newborns. Every day, every hour can be different in family medicine and that keeps my job exciting.

What part of your job motivates you most to come to work every day?

In addition to clinical care, I work as the program director of the Family Medicine Residency in Monroe. In this role, I help educate the next generation of family physicians, coaching them to be the best they can be. Seeing our residents progress from first years to third years that can practice independently is what motivates me each day. Seeing that there are new doctors out there that are dedicated to their patients, families and communities keeps me going.

What occupational accomplishment are you most proud of?

As a fellowship-trained family doctor, I have brought family medicine with obstetrics to the two hospitals that I have practiced in during my career. Championing family medicine as a specialty with significant breadth is exciting. Educating and advocating about all the procedures, types of patients, and settings that family doctors can practice is important because I believe family medicine is one of the keys to improving our nation’s health care.

In what ways do your personal and professional lives collide?

My wife is a veterinarian, and we frequently like to discuss new medications, procedures and medical conditions and how they would be treated in both animals and people. Outside of interesting conversation about medicine, I think the service and philanthropic mindset of medicine permeates my life.

I am a scout leader for my nine-year-old daughter and enjoy the leading, teaching and serving that happens there. I like to travel locally, nationally and internationally with my family. Sometimes with all the settings and types of patients I care for I have a lot of on-call time and getting away helps me balance family and work time.

Why did you choose ProMedica as your place of work?

When I interviewed at ProMedica six years ago it was immediately clear to me that primary care, family medicine and community were important to everyone who works at ProMedica. The value ProMedica places on serving communities the best they can fits very well with the mission of family medicine.

I grew up in Ottawa Lake, Michigan, and six years ago, when I moved back, my children were one and three. My whole family is local, and it takes a village to raise children, so I was looking for something closer to home. My first job after fellowship was in academics and the residency in Monroe was hiring and interested in having a family doctor with obstetrics skills. Once I interviewed, it was clear this was the right job for me.

What makes ProMedica unique when it comes to our care?

ProMedica puts an emphasis on providing care to people in our communities. People don’t want to, and frequently can’t, travel to get quality care – they want it at home and ProMedica provides and prioritizes that.

Nicholas Schenk, MD
Dr. Schenk is a family medicine provider with ProMedica Physicians in Monroe, Michigan. View his profile.