Center for Healthy Living profile: Kim Jefvert
April 18, 2013
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Kim Jefvert, nurse practitioner at the Center for Healthy
Living. (Rodney McPhail/HR Communications)
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Nurse practitioner Kim Jefvert joined the Center for Healthy Living staff April 15. With Jefvert's arrival, the center now has four primary care providers.
Why did you choose a career as a nurse practitioner?
I chose the nurse practitioner role as it was emerging because of its holistic approach to an individual's mind, body and spirit, plus the discipline advocates patient involvement. I thrive on the scientific process of assessing, analyzing and then using data to formulate an integrated plan.
What attracted you to the Center for Healthy Living?
I believe in quality health care, and I like the model of an employer investing in its employees in a very direct way. I believe it demonstrates respect and interest in the employee's well-being. There are many aspects of health, and the center's name commits to health being an integral part of a lifestyle.
You've completed the American Academy of Anti-Aging's functional medicine fellowship. What is that, and what does it involve?
It's a four-part series of postgraduate education courses focusing on integrating science-based health care to treat illness and promote wellness.
Functional medicine focuses on three areas that influence health and disease: fundamental physiological processes, environmental factors and genetic predispositions. Functional medicine aims to treat the cause of the problem and not mask the symptoms.
What do you enjoy in your time away from the job?
I am excited and proud to support my daughter in her riding (hunter jumper equestrian), and I enjoy being able to watch her at a show. I like working in my flower beds – particularly with the rose bushes. I also enjoy walking and biking on country roads, swimming, and sitting on the back porch with a book.