Allicen Waxlax
Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to welcome Allicen Waxlax, a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School, who is participating in the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP).
Through the RPAP program, a third-year medical student lives in a rural community for nine months and participates in rotations of hospital and clinic care of patients under the supervision of local physicians. In October, Waxlax began seeing patients with Dr. Don Hughes, Riverwood Family Practice physician who acts as the primary mentor and trainer for resident physicians and medical students at Riverwood.
In the months ahead, Waxlax will also learn about obstetrics and gynecology care and spend time observing surgical care from local surgeons. She will see patients in clinic, hospital, emergency room, nursing homes, hospice and within the community.
A native of Barnum, Minn., Waxlax completed her undergraduate studies at the College of St. Scholastica earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Nursing. She worked as a registered nurse for 17 years in all areas of hospital nursing and for 12 years as a certified diabetes educator. She also has experience as an instructor for Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support training courses.
“I’m very familiar with Riverwood and the Aitkin County area as I’ve completed clinicals here,” Waxlax said. “I love the way Riverwood and its staff are committed to genuinely caring for and about the community and its residents. I’m drawn to working for a health care organization that is meeting the needs of the community it serves. I see this in action with the addition of a kidney care and dialysis unit and plans to expand behavioral health services.”
Allicen Waxlax will work at Riverwood through the end of June 2020. She and her husband, Russell, have four children ages 7 through 12.