About Dr. McCarrey Dr. James McCarrey didn’t always know he wanted to be a doctor, but he knew he wanted to help people. “One day while discussing things with my dad, he seemingly out of the blue mentioned that I should look into medicine. To this day, I still don’t know how or why he told me that – seeing as he is not a doctor – but I did take his advice and looked into it.” And it’s a good thing he did. Dr. McCarrey received his bachelor’s degree in exercise science at Brigham Young University in Utah. He then received his doctorate in osteopathy at the Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tennessee. “Having done my residency at Memorial, I’ve gained a deep appreciation for the way that Beacon as a whole operates. They always put the patient first and want their physicians to do whatever is necessary. This overarching desire to do what is best really speaks to me as a person.” Family Medicine is the perfect fit for Dr. McCarrey. “Family Medicine as a whole is about developing long-term relationships with people and helping them achieve the best health that they can. In Family Medicine, that involves literally everything that could go on in a person’s life. I personally enjoy helping people with their chronic problems and preventing further illness.” Dr. McCarrey has learned from his patients that you can never stop learning – and hopes they’ve learned from him, too. “As physicians, we often see people who are struggling immensely with a lot of different problems (mental and physical health, social problems, financial problems, and the list goes on).  Although those struggles are very real and very unpleasant, they can get better. I hope that my patients have learned to trust me when I say that because they have seen me do my best to help them get better.” In His Own Words What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? My first ever official job was working at a pumpkin patch in rural Northwest Washington. I remember leaving work covered in mud most days. I also remember the amazing apple cider and apple pie a la mode they would give us. It was a good job for 16 year old me. What is your favorite food? Movie? What was your best/ worst subjects in school growing up? My favorite food is Mexican. Favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings (can’t pick just one of them). If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why? It’s a toss-up for me between Tom Hanks (my favorite actor) and Jeff Tweedy (my favorite songwriter). My biggest worry for spending anytime with either of them would be being too star-struck to say anything and having an incredibly awkward evening. In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? What are your hobbies, interests? Most people don’t know this, but I am really into alternative rock and playing music. I was in a few rock bands during college and love collaborating with others to create new music.