Stephanie Terrell: Making the Most of Every Moment

“In stores, I have patients come up to me all the time to share their good news,” she said. “Once, while I was shopping in Costco, a patient spied me and ran up to tell me she had adopted a baby boy and had just picked him up yesterday. After being part of this woman’s life for so long, it was such an experience to be part of the exciting news. I don’t mind giving out my cell phone number because I can communicate with patients via text easily. And I want to be available to them.”

Whether it’s for her family or her patients, family nurse practitioner and owner of Simply Women’s Health Stephanie Terrell gives 110 percent of her time and attention. With two young daughters, Emmelin, four, and Addison, six, and all the hectic “busyness” that parenthood entails, she juggles career and family by making the most of every waking moment. Since her husband, Rob, a pilot for American Airlines, is often gone four to five days a week, Stephanie is blessed to have her parents nearby in case of scheduling problems or emergencies. Also, her children attend a local Montessori school that offers before-school and after-school fun, engaging activities.

“Family has always been my biggest influence growing up,” said Stephanie, who credits her parents with her strong work ethic. “My paternal grandmother, Myrtle, was the one who was always there—caring, baking, making things, and taking care of the kids. No small feat, as she had nine kids and many great-grandchildren whom she loved and in whose lives she was involved. My grandmother was definitely a role model to me. Grandmother Myrtle lived to be 86 years old and was always cooking and spending time with all of us. What I loved most was her sense of family at a time when it was needed in my growing-up years. My grandmother wanted to be a nurse, but in those days many women didn’t have the career opportunities we have now, so she worked in a nursing home.”

Her grandmother would be proud to see that Stephanie went out on her own, opening Simply Women’s Health in May 2013 after gaining valuable work experience in a large-practice setting for seven years. She opened the practice all by herself, as nurse practitioners have more flexibility in owning their businesses in Idaho than in other states. Stephanie welcomed Dr. Kelly Siudzinski on board part time for patient care and to perform in-office procedures such as Essure^® contraception and NovaSure^® ablations. Simply Women’s Health offers well women checkups, family planning services, thermography, menopause management, bio-identical hormone replacement and consultation for a range of challenges women often may encounter.

“Many times during a patient’s well checkup, we discover other issues. A wellness visit turns into a discussion about depression, anxiety, weight concerns, hypertension, hormone replacements and a host of other interrelated problems,” Stephanie elaborated. “When I was working the floor as a nurse, I liked to educate my patients. I love that now about my role at this point in my career—talking to my clients about their individual lives and what works for them. I’m their support person.”

That’s precisely why she takes her time to assess what each person is feeling. With a small practice such as hers, Stephanie can really get to know the whole person. “The focus of my practice is gynecological, and there aren’t many practices here that specialize solely in women’s health without the obstetrics component,” she explained. “I promise my patients that Simply Women’s Health will not grow into this huge practice where you just feel like a number.”

She plans to hire another midlevel practitioner in the upcoming months to assist with the work load and to help with Kelly and Stephanie’s joy of spending time with their little ones. Personally, her long term goal includes building her practice a little more so that she can travel again with her hubby and girls. Right now her work schedule is too jam packed to take time off, but her brother and his wife and kids are hopefully planning to visit during the Christmas holidays. “It’s funny; he and I both married Canadians, only he lives up there so we don’t get to see each other much,” Stephanie said. “And with some of Rob’s family coming hopefully as well for the holidays, it will be almost like a family reunion,” she joked.

Stephanie makes time to give back to her profession by mentoring Nurse Practitioner students from one of Boise’s several colleges and online university programs. Right now she has an NP student doing a clinical rotation in women’s health. It is an important, hands-on work experience for the student that requires Stephanie’s time and attention, too. “I strongly encourage students to get the most variety they can while they’re in school,” said Stephanie, herself a graduate of Gonzaga University, a private college in Spokane, Washington. “Delve into different specialties, such as dermatology. Dermatology problems are part of being a woman. As a family practitioner you see all that and more, so challenge yourself to have all that you can as a student. Take advantage of that time in your career and you can learn certain skills as you go on.”

As a woman owner of a small business, Stephanie understands the unique concerns they face. She supports other female business owners through a women’s networking group. Stephanie also makes time to participate in her children’s school activities and fundraising efforts. Women’s causes are near and dear to her heart. Over the years, she has sponsored the Fit 1 Run and the Susan G. Komen^® Breast Cancer Awareness Race for the Cure in conjunction with local radio stations KISS 103.5 and Lite 108.

Always giving of her time, Stephanie cherishes those occasions when she runs into a patient in the aisle of Target or Costco. “In stores, I have patients come up to me all the time to share their good news,” she said. “Once, while I was shopping in Costco, a patient spied me and ran up to tell me she had adopted a baby boy and had just picked him up yesterday. After being part of this woman’s life for so long, it was such an experience to be part of the exciting news. I don’t mind giving out my cell phone number because I can communicate with patients via text easily. And I want to be available to them.”

Working five-plus days a week, Stephanie hopes to get back into her favorite sport of soccer soon. She met her husband 14 years ago when she was playing soccer. As a runner, she enjoyed and played middle and front line positions. In fact, Stephanie enjoys running so much that she has challenged herself to complete a half marathon next year. But for now, the only workout she fits into her busy schedule is swim time at the local YMCA. In the near future, she plans to participate in a community club Girls on the Run event with her daughters. Like her grandmother and mother, Stephanie takes time to do arts and crafts projects or watch Addy and Emme make many creations. An avid reader of contemporary fiction, Stephanie carves out a little time every night to read before she falls asleep. Her one guilty pleasure is munching on salty potato chips while unwinding with a good book.

“I’m glad I waited to have children later in life, because I feel I have more patience, and I was able to travel with Rob and do other things first. People used to joke about how long we dated before we finally married. It was a long-distance relationship for a while, and we kind of did things backward by buying a house together first, but it all worked out in the end,” laughed Stephanie, who has no regrets about her life’s journey. “Sometimes you just need the time to figure it all out.”