About Jamie Thacker When she was a freshman in high school, Jamie Thacker, NP, knew she wanted a career in nursing. It was at a time when her grandfather was experiencing many medical complications that led to renal failure and she had her first experience with hospice and ultimately death. “I knew then that I wanted to be one of the “angels” that helped with people in need,” she says. Jamie graduated from Indiana University South Bend with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing as well as her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner. Jamie has been at Beacon her entire career. In helping people along their healthcare journeys, Jamie has spent time in family practice and helping postpartum women recover from birth and teaching them to care for themselves and their newborns, to name just a few of her skills. “I love having the variety in the patient population as well as in the different types of visits with the patients,” she says. A holistic approach to medicine is what Jamie prescribes to. This entails treating the patient as a whole and taking into consideration the many facets of a patient’s care. “My success as a nurse practitioner is based on advocating for my patient, their family, and their needs,” she says. “I hope patients have learned that when I say I care about them and want them to succeed, be happy, and healthy that I truly mean it,” she says. Through patients, Jamie has come to realize her role is about more than simply providing healthcare. “I am here for you. I am here to help you with your healthcare journey no matter where you are in it or what your goals are. I want to be there to help you.” In her own words… Who is or was the most influential people/role models in your life?  I have had many people in my life who had a hand in guiding me from childhood to the adult that I am today.   What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it?  I began working for my father in our CNC machine shop and I worked there through my undergrad and my nursing career as well. There are many memories of the shop, but the most significant memory is that feeling of home when I walk through the doors. What is your favorite food? Movie?  Favorite food: German    Favorite movie: Fools Gold What was your best/worst subjects in school growing up?  Best was art, but math was a close second.    Worst was English If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why?  This one is very hard. There are many people I would love to have one more conversation with, but the individual I miss the most is my Oma (grandmother) who always had the answer to anything and everything with the ability to make any problem feel so much less daunting than it seemed. In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about?  Art What are your hobbies, interests?  Drawing, painting, reading, off-roading, hiking, kayaking, the outdoors Do you have pets?  Yes, two doggos and three cats. Can we talk about fur? What is something most people don’t know about you?  Although I am passionate about art, a lot of individuals do not realize that I do dabble in many different types of art and techniques.