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Family nurse practitioner Jeffrey C. Lee joins Oaklawn’s express-care team
MARSHALL — The road was somewhat winding, but Jeffrey C. Lee says he can credit his family history of caring for others for setting him eventually on the road to a career in medicine.
Now, after 15 years of experience in the medical field — including more than a dozen years in nursing and seven more as a family nurse practitioner — Lee comes to Oaklawn as a member of its express-care team.
As a family nurse practitioner, Lee will be based primarily at Oaklawn Express Care – Beckley Road, which is to open June 1 in Suite B at 5352 Beckley Road, Battle Creek. The office may be contacted at (269) 558-0714. Lee also will see patients at Oaklawn Express Care – Albion and Oaklawn After Hours Express in Marshall.
Lee traces his interest in medicine to his youthful awareness of his family’s professional experience.
“My mother is a nurse, and over dinner she would tell us stories about her work,” Lee recalled. But Lee’s own shift toward medicine didn’t start until a few years after his graduation at age 18 from Mt. Vernon (Ohio) Academy.
“I actually went to college to become an architect. I was 2½ years into architectural school when the national housing crash happened,” he said. “I listened to some advice that this might not actually be a great career choice.”
Abetted in part by his older sister’s decision to work as a nursing aide and likewise encouraged by their father’s history of work as a nursing assistant, Lee began to consider a path that would adhere more closely to his family’s church practice and beliefs.
“I love art and design, but I didn’t feel like I was helping people,” he said. “That core religious training helped me decide that I should find a way to help people, so I started to consider things like psychology, social work and nursing.”
Lee tested the waters by working for two years as a state-tested nurse aide for a Mt. Vernon, Ohio-based retirement campus. Subsequently, he enrolled in Kettering, Ohio-based Kettering College, from which he graduated in 2010 with an associate’s of science degree in nursing. He went on to earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the college in 2011.
After work as a registered nurse in Kentucky and California, Lee enrolled in the family nurse practitioner program of Loma Linda University, from which he graduated in 2016 with a master’s degree in nursing.
Since then, Lee has worked as a family nurse practitioner for medical organizations in the Battle Creek area, focusing on diabetes care, primary care and urgent care.
Lee was born in New Jersey and reared chiefly in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, but said Michigan is the state in which he has spent the greater part of his life. He and his family have resided in Augusta for the past six years. In fact, Lee’s wife of 13 years, Kirby, is a Michigan native.
“She converted me to Michigan,” Lee acknowledged. The couple are the parents of two sons.
“My wife is a dietician, so health is a big thing in our family,” Lee said. “We go for bike rides, four-wheeling and other exercise. Through COVID, we invested in a home gym and spend quite a bit of time there each day. Both boys are in wrestling and play soccer and flag football.”
A movie buff, Lee also loves “the latest blockbuster” and counts the recent “Avatar” sequel among his most recent viewing experiences.
Lee also says he’s looking forward to plunging into the greater Calhoun County community.
“We’re very busy with the boys, so coming to Oaklawn is perfect for us because it offers a great balance for work and life,” Lee said. “Oaklawn is small enough to be sociable and large enough to be professional. You feel as though you’re dealing with friends and family in a good, professional way. I’m very excited about it.”
