In honor of Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) week, this week the Department of Internal Medicine is celebrating these healthcare providers and recognizing the exceptional care they provide to our patients at University of Utah Health. APCs encompass both Physician’s Assistants and Nurse Practitioners who are educated and experienced healthcare providers. They work alongside our physicians to provide quality patient care across all our divisions. As healthcare continued to evolve, their value is growing. One of our great APCs is Cassidy Doucette, APRN (Oncology). She works for the supportive oncology and survivorship team. She knew she would become a nurse practitioner at age 20 when she shared her plans with a random stranger on a bus in Bolivia. She fulfilled her dream when she graduated with her Doctorate in Nursing Practice in May 2017. Drawn to healthcare from a young age, she would greet injured skiers with hot chocolate and her smile in the ski patrol shack while her mother was on Bogus Basin Ski Patrol in Idaho. As a teenager, she was involved in soccer and skiing and had the opportunity to travel the US and abroad. Traveling encouraged her interest in global health. During a stint as an EMT, she spent four months in the slums of India teaching emergency medicine. After nursing school, she started her nursing career with the colorectal surgery team. Her incredible work ethic meant she quickly rose through the ranks as nurse, charge nurse, float nurse, and nurse educator for outpatient clinics. As a nurse educator at Huntsman Cancer Hospital, she authored a study about the holistic meditation practice of qigong and its positive impact on cancer patients. Cassidy works in a team setting where she helps to create more access to quality medical care so patients can get the care they need when they need it. Not only does she have the expertise and training to treat patients, but she can also spend time educating patients about their treatment plans. Thank you to our tremendous APCs. Your commitment to care is extraordinary. With nearly 150 APCs working within the Department of Internal Medicine they are a vital part of our team. Their efforts are critical to our clinical mission, and they help us provide quality patient care to our growing patient population.