JEFFERSON, Iowa – Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Alec Antanaitis, was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio and has traveled across the United States. But when it came time to call a place home, he made a beeline right back to the Midwest and to Greene County Medical Center’s Family Medicine Clinic. “My mother was a nurse, so I followed in that path. After getting my RN degree, I worked in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), then COVID hit. I decided I wanted to see the rest of the country,” he explained, “and I liked the idea of the desert, so I got in a car and just went. I ended up working in ICUs in Las Vegas and El Paso, bouncing between the two.”
This arrangement was working well for Antanaitis, until a car accident forced him to put his career on hold while he recuperated. “I decided I was going to make the most of that time, so I moved back to Ohio and went back to school.” This led to a new passion for the young nurse practitioner. “I never really thought of myself as a clinic worker, but to be honest, I ended up loving it more than anything else I had done,” he said.
Having only worked in big city hospitals with 5,000 beds or more, he knew he wanted something different but wasn’t sure where he wanted to go. One thing was certain, he was staying in the Midwest. The desire for that Midwest attitude of friendliness and caring drove him to evaluate three cities: Des Moines, Madison, Wisconsin and Omaha, Nebraska. “I made it to Des Moines, and that was it. Iowa was a fit and within a couple of weeks I had moved here,” Antanaitis said.
Three clinical rotations at Manning Regional Healthcare Center confirmed this move was the right one for him. Antanaitis was developing relationships with his patients and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the person beyond their medical experiences. He also appreciated being able to really get to know the people he worked with every day.
As the newest provider at Greene County’s Family Medicine Clinic, Antanaitis will join the team in mid-September and begin seeing patients in October. He wants all of his patients to know he views their relationship as a team effort. There are no judgments, just the both of them working together toward common health and wellness goals with each individual taking ownership in their part of the plan.
Antanaitis received his bachelor’s in nursing from Bowling Green State University and his Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) degree from Chamberlain College of Nursing. His areas of medical interest include gerontology as well as the musculoskeletal, cardiac, pulmonary and gastrointestinal systems. He is also experienced in Hospice care.
He and his wife have a 20-month-old son who follows in his father’s footsteps with a love for the drums. Antanaitis said they can’t wait to establish their home and raise their family right here in the heart of “Iowa Nice.”
For more information or to schedule an appointment with Antanaitis, call 515-386-0500.