3 columbushosp.org Columbus welcomes new hospitalist The newest hospitalist at Columbus Community Hospital, Dr. Chris Buckley, joined the team in September. Hospitalists admit and treat patients in the hospital until they return to their home or another location, such as a rehabilitation facility. Once patients return home, they receive care from their regular, outpatient doctors. Work-life balance Hospitalists reflect an emerging trend in medical practice. Fading are the days when doctors see patients in the hospital in the morning, spend a full day in a clinic while fielding calls from nurses, and then return to the hospital in the evening to see patients again. “Being a hospitalist allows patients to receive optimal care while providing better work-life balance for physicians,” Buckley said. Adventurous career path After growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, Buckley completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Upon graduation, he taught English for a year in Santiago, Chile, before attending Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska. Fluent in Spanish, Buckley practiced immigration and criminal law for five years before attending the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Medicine runs in the family Both of Buckley’s parents are doctors; his mother was an obstetrician and gynecologist, and his father was a general surgeon in Lincoln. But that wasn’t his only lure to the profession. “As a lawyer, a lot of what you do is contentious. There’s a lot of arguing,” Buckley said. “I like medicine because you have a team of health care providers — from the nurses and physicians to the pharmacists and physician assistants — all working together to provide the best care for the patient. I really like the collegial atmosphere medicine offers.” Buckley completed his residency in internal medicine at Nebraska Medical Center in June 2022. He likes hospitalist medicine because it involves treating various medical conditions, and he enjoys working in a hospital setting. Buckley is one of four hospitalists from Inpatient Physician Associates Columbus, a private hospitalist group that serves Columbus Community Hospital. The team of board-certified hospitalists is available 24/7 to respond to patients’ needs. “Columbus is getting bigger, and with more demand for hospital services, there was a need for a fourth partner,” Buckley said. Buckley is excited to become a part of the community and explore the amenities, such as local parks and the Columbus Fieldhouse — the new sports complex at Columbus Community Hospital that will be completed in 2024. “Columbus seems like a nice place to raise a family and work, and it’s close enough to Omaha that we can get back there to see friends easily,” he said. Buckley and his wife, Sara, are parents to 13-month-old Janey. Their two dogs round out the family. Scuba diving on the itinerary As a certified diver since age 12, Buckley looks forward to scuba diving with his family during his vacations in diving destinations, such as Cozumel, Mexico; Spain; Italy; and Croatia, and to traveling again in general. “We want to introduce Janey to the world,” he said.
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