Clinical Spotlight: Eddie Navarrete, MD, FACEP
Immigrating to the United States from Mexico with his family when he was just eight years old, Dr. Navarrete began working at a young age to assist his family in their new home in California. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior from the University of California at Davis. Dr. Navarrete earned his medical degree from the University of California San Francisco School (UCSF) of Medicine and completed his post-graduate work at the University Hospitals of Columbia and Cornell and his Emergency Medicine Residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He then relocated to Chicago to begin his career as an Emergency Physician.
Interview with Dr. Navarrete
Q: When did you decide to become a physician?
I suppose from a very young age; I always looked up to physicians. My dad was a doctor in Mexico and chief of staff. I remember when he explained to me what he did for a living; he told me that he just sat next to people, listened to them, and tried to help them. To this day, that is how I view my job, and it reminds me that I have the greatest job in the world. Although I always thought about becoming a physician, it just did not seem to be in the cards for me as when we moved from Mexico to the States, my dad was no longer working as a physician (he became a nurse’s aide) and getting a job and helping the family was much more important to me than excelling in school. As a result, I barely graduated from high school. Once I was 18, I realized that unless I started to work towards something, I would throw away the main reason my family immigrated here. I enrolled in community college and never looked back. After a lot of work, I eventually got into my dream medical school, UCSF, and now, just like my dad, I get to speak to people for a living.
Q: What is your favorite part about working with LEP and ECP?
I love the people that I work with and our shared values about working with others.
I have been practicing emergency medicine for over a decade, and the close environment we work in makes things special. LEP ensures that providers who work with the group enjoy what we do, including working with nurses, techs, secretaries, and everyone.
Q: What do you find most challenging about your job?
I really enjoy the pace of a busy emergency department. The pressure to ensure every patient experience is positive is a goal we try to achieve, but it can be challenging. I think all of us go through a period in our careers when we feel worn down by everything we see. It took me several years to realize that career happiness is largely up to me. I now know that when we are our best selves and give the benefit of the doubt to our patients, it doesn’t just provide good care for our patients, but it brings great joy to us as physicians. This is advice that I try to pass along to any of the clinicians working beside me. It really can be career-saving.
Q: Outside of work, how do you like to spend your time?
I love spending time with my family. I am married to Theresa, a much more brilliant ER doctor than I am. She not only works full-time but is absolutely the best when it comes to raising our incredible and loud children. Theresa serves as my rock and counsel through everything that I do at work and home.
I enjoy jogging because it clears my mind, and it gives me an excuse not to be taking care of the kids for an hour. Out of nowhere now, I really enjoy creating cool things for my kids, whether it’s a candy shoot for Halloween, converting a 12 v power wheels to a 24V lithium battery racer (with a built-in 3-point shoulder harness), or an awesome Maverick snowboarding helmet.