January 30, 2021

Chris Boelter, MD, Adult and Pediatric Urology

I thought I would like to go into medicine, but in college I decided that wasn’t for me. I started my career in research and development doing product testing. While that was interesting, it didn’t fill me with any great sense of joy. You know, I didn’t feel purpose in that. From there, I transitioned into basically factory work. I was a sheet metal worker for a company that made gym lockers and railroad bridges. I did that just long enough to get into the union. But that company packed up and we were all unemployed. Our union shop leader said, ‘hey Chris, you know, I think you should go back to school.’ I think that there is a lot to be said about that value of experience when you’re trying to answer the question, ‘why do I want to do this?’ What is my purpose here? What is that thing I can do that’s going to give me a day-to-day joy? Could I do a career in medicine? Could I be a physician?

That’s how I ended up here. I’m a urologist with CentraCare, and I am also the physician Vice President of the Specialty Care Division. I was talking to an anesthesiologist; and he said, ‘you know, this isn’t the surgeons’ operating room. This is the community’s operating room. And we get to use it to help people.