Every year, the NWI Area Health Education Center (AHEC) bestows upon several medical educators in the Region the Outstanding Preceptor Award. The award serves as an acknowledgment of the dedication and effort health professionals throughout Northwest Indiana have shown in creating the future generation of medical workers.
Marram Health Center’s Dr. J. Timothy Ames, MD was happy to learn that he’d been declared a recipient earlier this year.
“I was pleased and surprised,” he said. “I've been teaching medical students on and off for my entire career, so it's nice to hear that they think I've been doing it well.”
Ames has been working with the Marram Health Center for nearly a decade, beginning in a part-time role in December of 2015 before transitioning to a full-time position in May 2019. Currently, he serves as the medical director and family physician.
“I do some patient care for my own patients, and I am also a resource for the nurse practitioners and fill in for their practices when they are absent,” he said. “I also contribute to policy and process decisions for the practice.”
In addition to his duties at the Marram Health Center, Ames often works with undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a medical career. Ames takes a very community-focused approach in working with his patients, and he tries to instill that in his students.
“I had the opportunity to work with undergraduate students who are interested in going into medicine,” Ames said. “My emphasis in teaching is that family medicine is not simply a bit from every specialty. Family medicine starts with telling the community there is no person who cannot be my patient, and there is no problem that is not my concern. Other specialties start by asking the doctor, ‘What do you want to do?’ Mine starts with, ‘How can I help you?’ Every part of my patients' lives is important to me because if I understand their beliefs, values, and circumstances, we can work together on remedies for their problems that make them feel stronger and more competent.”
Ames’ approach works for both his students and patients, making his selection as an Outstanding Preceptor no surprise.
“I have persuaded some students to go into family medicine, including one who is a teacher in a family medicine residency program. I've enjoyed that affirmation,” Ames said. “Many more than that have seen and been touched by the experience of healing that comes when patients see that a doctor really cares about what happens to them.”
While the award recognizes Ames’ talent for teaching others, he also sees it as a sign that truly caring in the medical field works and that others notice.
“The award is more gratifying for being unexpected,” he said. “One doesn't go into family medicine for prestige; in fact, seeking praise would erode our commitment to service. The award is a sign that others can see the value of simply caring. I could know everything there is to know about medical science, but if I didn't care, I couldn't heal.”
To learn more about the services provided by the Marram Health Center, visit marramhealth.org.