By Mary Owen
One of Santiam Hospital’s newest doctors has a heart for medicine that goes back to his high school days.
“I was immersed in healthcare early on and always was intrigued,” said Dr. Steve Vets, who started his career as an emergency medical technician while in high school. “It is a very complex and interesting world.”
His first step into the medical field led to more: orderly, emergency room technician, nurse and finally, doctor.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Vets moved to Oregon in the 1990s with the woman he was dating while in college.
“She moved, and I stayed in Oregon,” he said. “I loved Oregon from the first visit and decided to stay forever. This was not in the cards, as I went back East for 10 years to get medical training, but I always had an eye on returning.”
Around 1998, Vets took a job as a nurse at Santiam Hospital.
“It was a fun job,” he said. “The best part of a nursing career is the variety, and at Santiam Hospital I had the opportunity to work in a variety of areas. There is also a clear and closer relationship to the community that is lacking in most big hospitals.”
In about 2000, Vets decided to become a doctor. What led him to make that decision, he said, was “an intellectual curiosity.”
“Many little turns lead me on this path,” he said. “If there was a clear tipping point, I read a few great books that got me fired up on physiology and pharmacology.”
While working as a nurse, Vets spent many a rainy day in the library reading. The books along with the encouragement from a few doctors nudged him to begin the long training process toward becoming a doctor, he said.
“I started med school at age 30 and finished training at 38,” he said. “I got married. I moved five times. It was a work hard, play hard life, not sustainable for long – but fun!”
Vets’ education includes a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers, an associate’s degree in nursing and an associate’s degree in math and science.
He earned his doctorate from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He did his residency at the University of Buffalo and a fellowship in Morristown, NJ, at a Mount Sinai affiliate.
Last summer, Vets returned to Santiam Hospital to work as an emergency room doctor.
“I work days, nights, weekends and holidays,” he said. “The motto of the ER is anyone, anything, anytime.”
Vets is also the director of the department, coordinating the ER with other areas of the hospital, keeping up on medical advances, implementing changes, recruiting new doctors and other related tasks.
His nursing background helps him to better understand a patient’s experience, he said.
“Nurses are closer to the bedside,” he said. “It also helps to know what the nurses are trying to do.”
As an ER doctor, Vets loves seeing people at their best.
“I saw a parent of an injured child maintain such a calm face in a difficult time to help his son stay calm,” he said. “I was truly impressed.
“Helping people to make it through some of the most difficult situations is rewarding,” he added. “Stabilizing a sick patient is deeply satisfying.”
Returning to Santiam Hospital after almost a decade of study has brought about changes and many new faces, but Vets is happy to be working there once again.
“SH is a real gem for this community,” he said. “It has really grown and gets better every day. SH is rare in that it is stable and 100 percent locally controlled. Our main goal is to serve our community. Having worked in a lot of hospitals by now, I honestly can say this is unique.”
When not “doctoring” his ER patients, Vets loves to spend time with his wife, Veneta, a pediatrician, and their child.
“I have a 1-year-old, so spare time is a memory,” he said with a grin.
“On the rare day, I love to fly airplanes and gliders, a life-long passion and alternate career if medicine does not work out,” he joked.
