Dr. Ted Parins - Surgeon at Sauk Prairie Healthcare

I became a doctor because, like most people, I wanted to make a positive impact, and I wanted to help people out, having people that have serious problems and being able to help them get through that or fix them for them. When I was in medical school, I did a surgical rotation, and found it very interesting. I really like the immediate impact you're going to have in somebody's life. Somebody can come in very sick and you do a surgery and make them much better in a very quick time, you see results very fast.

Sometimes, you know that you've made a big difference because somebody has a big problem and you fixed it. Like if somebody has a cancer and you remove that and you know that you've cured them of a cancer, it's a big deal. But other times, it's as simple as removing a colon polyp that you knew would've turned into a cancer, and the patient may not even have known how big of an event in their life that was. But you do realize the impact that you've made on them.

I've always enjoyed being able to work on people who are my friends and neighbors. That makes it really special to work in this community. And I do see people that I work with at the hospital here all the time, other people out in the community that I either work with or have events with. And, most of the people I meet through my children, so they're parents of other kids that I know.

I think you can get your surgery performed anywhere, but I think here we can provide a more personal experience, and more catered to a patient. We're operating on friends in new neighbors, and I think we give a level of compassion and care that you can't get anywhere else. I think it's comes from everybody from Housekeeping to the CEO of this hospital. Most of those people are living in this community and were caring for and working on friends and neighbors. And I think everybody is committed to making that a positive experience for people that comes to Sauk Prairie Healthcare.