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Family nurse practitioner Yolanda Cobley joins Oaklawn’s vascular surgery services
MARSHALL – When she was just 8 years old, an illness briefly put Yolanda Cobley in the hospital.
“I thought how nice the nurses were, and I enjoyed getting to know them,” the Albion native recalled.
The experience blossomed over time into an interest in medicine that flowered when she was in junior high school.
“I just knew I wanted to be in and around the hospital,” Cobley said.
Cobley recently joined Oaklawn Medical Group – Vascular Surgery based at Suite 1E of the Wright Medical Building at 215 E. Mansion St. There, she will work alongside vascular surgeon Subhash Thakur, M.D. Appointments may be made by calling (269) 789-8272.
Cobley’s relationship with Oaklawn is long-standing, stretching back to service as a registered nurse beginning in 2001. She has worked in Oaklawn’s Post Anesthesia Care Unit and Critical Care Unit/Stepdown Unit.
While continuing her studies at Michigan State University, Cobley rotated in the Oaklawn Medical Group OB Suite with Christine Nault, FNP, and did a rotation in the cardiology office.
“Once I started working at Oaklawn, it just felt like family from the get-go. This is just the best fit,” Cobley said.
Cobley received her bachelor of science degree in biomedical sciences in 1997 from Western Michigan University. She went on to receive a bachelor of science degree in nursing in 2001 from Michigan State University, and graduated in 2017 from MSU with a master of science degree in nursing.
“The reason I picked nursing as my field is because I always enjoy the diversity the job offers, and the special relationship nurses have with their patients,” Cobley said. An early job-shadowing experience with several nurses cemented her conviction.
Her clinical experience includes work with the Veterans Health Administration in Battle Creek; Marshall-based Advanced Gynecological Services; and Leslie-based Henry Ford Allegiance Family Health.
Cobley is certified in basic cardiac life support, advanced cardiac life support and perioperative nursing practice. She is a member of the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Cobley and her husband of 20 years, Chris Cobley, reside in Albion with their children, Cameron, 13, and Ava, 11. The family spend time in the outdoors and often spend their summers camping, boating, swimming and fishing in and around Michigan and Indiana.
Cobley’s appreciation for Oaklawn extends to the Calhoun County community, with which she has been familiar since her youth.
“Coming back to Oaklawn feels like coming back home,” she said. “I have some good longstanding relationships with the staff at Oaklawn, and I’ve always enjoyed working in a variety of positions in and around the hospital.”
Cobley said she expects to experience that same “hometown feel” while working in vascular surgery at Oaklawn.
“I’ve always enjoyed learning something new,” she said.
“Working as I have as a nurse practitioner and as a nurse all these years, I’m still learning every day — new medical knowledge, new techniques and new approaches to delivering health care,” she said. “It still excites me to be in health care and have the opportunity to always learn and grow as a nurse practitioner.”