Jamie Shawver, D.O.: The Modern-Day Family Doctor

Jamie Shawver, D.O.: The Modern-Day Family Doctor

By KIMBERLY Lucey Millen  /  Photography by STAN GODLEWSKI

Once upon a time, the family doctor treated every person in the household: from grandparents to their tiny grandbabies, and everyone in between. If someone got sick and needed inpatient care, the family doctor followed them, continuing their treatment within the hospital walls. Jamie Shawver, D.O., sees the value in that continuity of care, now carrying the torch forward into her modern-day practice at Trinity Health Of New England. Hers is one of the few still offering the traditional family doctor model that follows a patient from birth throughout their life. “I don’t know that I would have found that anywhere else,” says Dr. Shawver. “Family medicine is both humbling and rewarding; I’m so grateful to have found my place at Trinity Health Of New England.”

Becoming the Family Doctor

In medical school, students are encouraged to try all the different specialties to figure out where they want to focus their studies. The problem, says Dr. Shawver, was that she liked learning about everything. “I didn’t hate any of the subjects,” she explains. “I liked taking care of all age groups and genders, and guiding patients who were quite healthy while also taking care of those who were very sick.” 

A mission trip to Kenya solidified her choice, teaching her to focus on how to treat the people, and look beyond the science of care. “My undergraduate degree was biomedical engineering, where science meets medicine,” says Dr. Shawver. “Up until that point I had really been focused on the science of the medicine, and not as much on the person it was meant to help.” As a result of this shift in focus, she ended up pursuing a path in osteopathic medicine. It is a practice that trains doctors to treat the whole patient in care: physically, mentally and spiritually. Notably, that’s the same mission as Trinity Health Of New England. Doctors of Osteopathy (DO) are trained to follow the latest innovations in science and technology. They also look past just the patient’s symptoms to try to understand how environmental and lifestyle factors may impact their health and well-being.

What the Family Doctor Can Do for You

Dr. Shawver says in family medicine you need to know about everything; as a doctor, she’s always learning. “Every day I still see things I haven’t seen before, and I have to keep on top of all the latest medical news,” comments Dr. Shawver. “There is always more to learn for the good of the patient.” 

She takes care of all age groups, from babies to the elderly, men, women, teenagers and children. She performs cancer screenings, skin biopsies, pap smears, behavioral health and autism screenings; administers vaccines; and fills out forms for physicals. 

“It really is amazing how much we can do,” she adds. “Patients don’t always realize they don’t have to be referred to a specialist; a lot of times we can handle the problem ourselves. And the big benefit of being part of a health system like Trinity Health Of New England—sometimes I can reach out to the right specialist myself and get an answer for my patient without them having to wait for another appointment.”

The Importance of Seeing Your Primary Care Physician

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Shawver and other primary care physicians saw many patients put off their annual appointments. As a result, many patients ended up coming in sicker than ever before. “People were afraid to come in for their routine visits; we ended up finding ourselves taking care of people at an ICU level,” states Dr. Shawver. While many patients have picked back up on their regular visits since then, not everyone has done so. 

“I still see people every day who have gone years without seeing a doctor,” says Dr. Shawver. The risks of that can be very high. A patient can have bad blood sugar or high blood pressure and not realize it, unknowingly doing years of damage to their body. “I just really want people to not hesitate to get their concerns addressed and catch something before it becomes a big problem. And not worry about any stigmas about the health problem you may need to address.”

A Rewarding Career

For Dr. Shawver, becoming a primary care physician and embodying the mission of a true family doctor has been more rewarding than she ever could have imagined. “Seeing the difference I can make in my patient’s lives is amazing,” she says. “The everyday interactions with patients can vary so widely and represent new challenges all the time. Whether I start them on a new medication and see if they’re improving or need an adjustment, I can follow along on their health care journey. We work collaboratively as a team and share in the decision making to make a difference in their life and their health.” 

Health care providers like Dr. Shawver help to embody the Mission of Trinity Health Of New England, dedicated to compassionate, high-quality care treating the whole patient: body, mind and spirit. 

Kimberly Lucey Millen is a freelance journalist with more than two decades of experience in both print and broadcast media. She lives in New England with her husband and son, exploring all that each of the four seasons has to offer.

Stan Godlewski is an editorial, corporate and healthcare photographer based in Connecticut and working primarily between Boston and New York City.