Transformative Care
It came as no surprise that Rachel Newmyer stepped into the healthcare profession. “My mother is an RN and her mother was an RN,” she explains. “I specifically have dedicated my career to bariatric surgery and nonsurgical approaches to weight loss.” When it comes to patient care, Newmyer’s approach is grounded in empowering and educating individuals in need of transformative care. “My job has given me an opportunity to partner with patients to help them achieve lifelong goals that can change the trajectory of their whole medical future,” she says. “This isn’t just about weight loss – it’s about living a longer, healthier, happier life.”
What I love about my job role is that I am in a career that sees patient improvement – not just the management of a disease, but a 360-degree transformation of life.”
My Credentials
Associates Degree in Nursing:
Southern Adventist University –
Collegedale, TN
Certifications:
Certified Bariatric Nurse
Recognitions:
Erlanger Spotlight Award
1. What does your day-to-day look like?
My day-to-day pathway includes a very hands-on clinical role of educating and rounding on pre- and post-surgery patients, and an administrative role leading the hospital through accreditation and upholding the standards outlined by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, so that Erlanger will continue to be the region’s leader in care for an obese patient.
2. What influenced you to pursue your career?
For my career in bariatric surgery, the credit would have to go to the great and late Dr. Jack F. Rutledge. He talked me into being his surgical nurse 18 years ago and taught me everything I know, from scrubbing surgical cases to being an advocate for the bariatric patient. He was a huge advocate for the disease of obesity, and he would be so excited to see where obesity medicine is heading. I think he would be proud of where my career has led me.
3. What is one of your happiest professional moments?
One of my most treasured parts of my job is seeing what we call “non-scale victories.” These are the beautiful stories that I hear daily from patients who have lost weight and are living their best life: getting down on the floor and being able to play with their kids, wearing that dress that has been hanging in the closet for years, or riding on the roller coaster for the first time because they can fit.
4. What is your best advice for patients?
Be your own advocate. The more you understand about your body and why it functions the way that it does, the more in tune you will be to your medical changes. Obesity is not just a misstep in lifestyle – it is a disease, and it deserves to be treated.
5. What would you consider to be your main strengths?
Humility, confidence, and gumption. I will be the first to take the blame if I’m at fault. I know and trust my ability in who I am and what I am doing, but if I face a job that I don’t know how to tackle, I won’t give up until the job is done or until I have figured out a way to solve it.
- 423.778.2906
- 979 East 3rd Street Suite C-620 Chattanooga, TN 37403
- erlanger.org/bariatrics
