You can call (603) 447-8900 to make an appointment with Josie, or fill out the forms to become a new patient and request her as your provider when you schedule your first appointment.
White Mountain Community Health Center is pleased to announce that Family Nurse Practitioner Josie Lamb, APRN, has joined the practice. Communications Director Siena Kaplan-Thompson sat down with Josie recently to learn more about her background and her healthcare approach. Following is a condensed version of their conversation:
Siena Kaplan-Thompson: Can you start by telling me a bit about yourself?
Josie Lamb: I am from Kentucky originally. I’ve been working as a traveling nurse for the past three years, and have really fallen in love with New England. I love the people here, there are a lot of independent, creative, outdoorsy people. I love being outdoors, I’m very drawn to the mountains. My family likes hiking and biking, and there are so many good things to do here.
SKT: What got you interested in medicine? Why did you become a nurse practitioner?
JL: When I was younger, I dealt with health problems which were not always well answered by my medical providers. I wanted to be a provider who sits down and listens to my patients and tries to talk with them to help them find options that are a good fit for them and also to really understand what’s going on with their bodies and their health.
I also worked in the natural foods industry, my first job in high school was at the local natural foods co-op, and I was surrounded by this culture of healing arts professionals, and people who were drawn there to focus on their health. I was excited by the world of health in general, I’m a biology nerd, and I like being a nurturing person.
SKT: Why did you choose family nurse practitioner as your specialty?
JL: I like family care because we look at the whole person, and all the different factors that play into health. And I also really like working with a diversity of ages and genders. I like seeing families who come in, and getting that complete family picture.
SKT: Before you became a nurse practitioner, you spent three years practicing as a nurse. How does that background affect your work today?
As a nurse, I did 12-hour shifts, and it was a lot of intensive one-on-one time with my patients. I’m used to really being present with patients through their struggles. It’s important to be able to dive in and sit with people and be part of that experience.
Now as a nurse practitioner in a primary care setting, I try to give people as much of myself as I possibly can. I love sitting down and listening to my patients, that’s my favorite part of my job. I also like to remember that if patients have a problem or a concern, it’s not gone when they walk away from the visit. It’s my job to stick with them and make sure that they’re getting good answers and a good plan.
SKT: Do you have any philosophies or values that guide you as a provider?
JL: I have a background in holistic nursing. Part of holistic nursing is being open to working with people who are interested in complementary and alternative modalities. While I primarily have a background in western medicine, I’m very open to working with people who like to implement more non-traditional complimentary modalities of care. But to me the heart of it has more to do with letting patients individualize where they want to go with their health, and remembering that we’re complex beings. We’re a combination of our biology, our lifestyle, our genetics, and the world around us too, and our family, and social background.
SKT: What does that look like in practice?
JL: I love doing mind-body interventions with people, such as breathing for relaxation, imagery and visualization. I work with a lot of patients who focus on nutrition as medicine too. I’m a big advocate of overall wellness, getting outdoors, moving, and having a healthy psychosocial life as well.
So many people come in and say, “I have anxiety, I don’t want to take medicine, what do I do about it?” I like working with people to find kind of the path that feels like the right fit for them for approaching health.
SKT: You see children and teenagers as well as adults. What would you say to a family that’s considering choosing you as their child’s provider?
JL: I love working with children. I like making office visits fun and playful and getting on the same level as kids and being able to talk with them. Childhood is also the best place to start with preventative care and to build healthy habits for lifelong wellness.
As a nurse, it was a real gift to be with a lot of moms in labor, and to work with newborn babies. I really believe in couplet care – the health of the birthing parent and the new baby are linked to each other. I also remember being a new momma. Breastfeeding was super intimidating, and I was grateful for people who could help me have a positive experience.
SKT: What do you enjoy about being a nurse practitioner?
JL: I love my patients! I love the diversity of people who come in every day. It’s such an honor to sit down with people and have them share what they’ve got going on in their lives, and to listen to them and help them come up with a plan to get where they want to be with their health.
SKT: Why might someone choose to see a nurse practitioner instead of a physician?
JL: From personal experience, recently my family’s PCP has been a nurse practitioner. She is such a good listener, and I really appreciate that about her. There are lot of physicians who are good listeners as well. But I do think the nursing background teaches us to sit down with people and be present for them.
SKT: Why did you choose to join White Mountain Community Health Center?
JL: I really like working for smaller clinics. There’s a lot of room for everyone to collaborate, and everyone has a voice, whether they’re a provider or a receptionist. It’s a very relaxed, comfortable, positive environment. I also like that we address a lot of the different areas of health, that we have dental, mental health, a dietician, a midwife to help with complex women’s health issues, a community health worker, and family care.
I love making a difference for people who have a lot of challenges and have a lot of barriers to care and may not have been always taken seriously by people in the medical profession in the past. It’s a good place to be. At the end of the day I go home and feel good about the work that I did.
SKT: How are you liking New Hampshire?
JL: We love it. I love that we can enjoy the summer and it’s not 95 degrees and humid, and we can be outdoors as much as we want to. We’re looking forward to the winter, too. We like to play in the snow. And I like New England people. We work with a lot of really independent, strong people.
SKT: What’s your secret talent or hobby?
JL: I like hula hoops! I have taught lessons, I’ve done performances before. It’s a fun, accessible way to get exercise, and it’s just nice to dance to some music. It’s always really positive.
SKT: Awesome. I have not done a lot of hula hooping since I was about 10, and the few times I’ve tried, it turns out it’s something I can’t really do anymore.
JL: You need an adult sized hoop! Most of the hoops you buy in stores are built for children’s bodies and children have smaller waist circumferences, and it’s hard as an adult to get that going unless you practice a lot.
SKT: Thank you for the tip! And welcome! We’re so happy you’re here.
JL: I’m so excited about being here! I walk out of so many visits saying, I just love our people. It’s fun.
Stay tuned for a hula hooping workshop led by Josie! In the meantime, anyone can become Josie’s patient at White Mountain Community Health Center or learn more by calling (603) 447-8900 or visiting our website at whitemountainhealth.org.
White Mountain Community Health Center is located at 298 White Mountain Highway, just north of Conway Village on Route 16, and offers comprehensive primary care to men, women and children, including dental care, family planning, substance abuse treatment, and support services. The health center is a non-profit that exists to ensure that everyone in our community can access high-quality health care, regardless of ability to pay.