Advanced Practice Nurse Monica Scott, APRN, has a passion for cardiology that dates back to high school. Recalling her grandparents’ heart disease and bypass surgeries, she said, “We spent a couple Fourth of July holidays at the hospital while they were recovering from heart surgeries. I felt a need to learn more about it — for example, their health needs and what I could do to help.”
After working as a registered nurse, Scott became a certified nurse practitioner to care for and provide education to people with cardiovascular issues. She recently joined the Sarah Bush Lincoln Cardiology Clinic at The Heart Center.
It was a health occupations class in high school that inspired Scott to pursue a nursing career, and it is was caring for her grandparents after their surgeries that led Scott to cardiology. A residency in a cardiology unit confirmed her choice. Scott reflected, “I told them I didn’t want to go anywhere else, and they said, ‘You have to, as part of your residency.’ I did get to experience other specialties, but I always loved my time spent in cardiology.”
The Effingham native has a diverse background that guides her in her care. After graduating from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, she’s worked in both rural and urban healthcare environments. Most recently, she worked in a rural setting, and she believes that experience will be extremely helpful in her new role.
“I think it’s really important to have a background in rural health, especially in cardiology,” Scott said. “You often have to travel a long distance to see your specialist, so it’s nice to offer cardiology services here, where people don’t have to travel far for their care.”
Scott’s goal is to treat her patients like family. “When they come in the door and they have an issue, I want to approach the issue head-on and get to the root of it,” she explained. “If I were the patient, I would want the provider to treat me like family.”
Scott is pleased to be with Sarah Bush Lincoln and to be back in East Central Illinois. She is eager to form bonds with her patients and co-workers. “When I worked in other regions, I didn’t really know my patients or a lot of the people I worked with,” she said. “It will be nice treating people I know and working with people with whom I can be good friends.”
To schedule an appointment with Scott, call the SBL Cardiology Clinic at 217-238-4960. She is located in The Heart Center (Entrance H.)