FNP Lanna Zobel brings wealth of experience to Parker Medical Center

Lanna Zobel is the Family Nurse Practitioner currently heading up the medical team at Parker Medical Center here in Lincoln.

Zobel hails from Milwaukee, Wis. She and her husband of seven years, Derek, relocated to Lincoln to be closer to family and for their love of Montana.

"We have family in Elliston and have been coming out to Montana more and more, over the years. The saying live where you want to vacation stuck with us. Lincoln has everything we love and more. A small community, access to the outdoors to do all the things we love: fly fishing, hunting, hiking and camping" Zobel said.

Zobel's work history and experience also make her a perfect fit for providing healthcare in a rural community like Lincoln. Working independently in a rural area requires a provider to be more resourceful and have a broad understanding of procedures when seeing patients.

With a Doctor of Nursing Practice – Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire combined with her professional work history she has a wealth of experience and skills that she gladly brings to Parker. These include emergency room, trauma, and inpatient nursing with training in pediatrics and adult care.

She has won awards for her involvement in creating a new Army medic training program, a five-star award at the University of Kansas hospital, the Quest award at Froedtert Hospital, the Extra Miler Award at Froedtert Hospital and she had been honored for successfully meeting and exceeding the State of Wisconsin's Level III Trauma Center verification. She has also been published in a variety of periodicals.

Zobel's goals for Parker are to "increase awareness of the services offered here. We see patients from zero to100-years old and can provide well-child checks, immunizations, well person exams, preventative care and chronic disease management. As a family health care provider, I can work with your specialty providers to make sure care is coordinated between providers and help ensure that all your care needs are met."

Zobel sees both differences and similarities between rural health care and urban health care.

"They are very different but the same. In a larger community or urban area patients and providers have access to multiple specialties and services, patients often have easy access to transportation and other services such as mental health and addiction services," she said. "In a rural area, the needs are the same, the patients have the same illnesses and diseases however they only have access to one or two providers. There is limited transportation which limits the number of services and specialists a patient has access to. This means a rural provider often has to provide some of those services and procedures that may not be provided in a family practice office in a more urban setting. This is true across the nation."

Zobel said her goals for her patients are their own health goals.

"I like to work with my patients and learn and understand what they expect from their provider and what their definition of health is. Every person has different goals and expectations for their health," she said. "As a nurse practitioner, I approach the patient and family as a whole and incorporate their needs, beliefs and values into their treatment plan and goals."

Zobel looks forward to getting to know more people in Lincoln's close-knit community, and experience all it has to offer.

"I was disappointed that for my first summer here COVID has forced the cancellation of so many events that we were looking forward to participating in," she said. "We love that Lincoln is a Gateway community and has so much to offer for outdoor recreation."