Family Man and Hospitalist Dr. Michael May
“Growing up I was good at science and math, and I really liked those subjects,” said hospitalist Dr. Michael May. “When I combined that with my desire to serve people, the medical field was really appealing to me. What wasn’t quite so appealing were the years of education and training.”
After finishing medical school at the University of Minnesota Medical School, he entered his residency at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. In his final year, he served as chief resident.
Residency to Hospitalist
As his residency drew to a close, he had begun to envision returning to his hometown of Dearwood, Minn., a small town near Brainerd to start his first practice.
“Completing my residency at Abbott Northwestern was eye-opening in so many ways. As much as I had learned, I knew I wanted to get back to a smaller community even if it wasn’t near Deerwood,” he said.
While Dr. May was on his search for the perfect place to practice medicine, he learned about ACMC’s new hospitalist program. His interest grew the more he learned. Having his wife’s extended family in the area made the decision to practice in Willmar even more appealing.
“Because the hospitalist venture with ACMC was so new, I was getting in at ground level. Since then I’ve gotten to be involved in how we build the hospitalist program, staffing scheduling and leadership activities. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do that had I stayed in the Cities.”
Though he admits he was concerned initially about being a hospitalist in a smaller hospital, Dr. May enjoys what he does.
“I like that I get to do everything for my patients. I have specialty support when I need it, but I’m able to handle everything I am comfortable doing. That’s one of the reasons why I liked internal medicine so much, and now I’m actually doing what I wanted to do all along,” he said.
Dr. May has worked at Rice Memorial Hospital as a hospitalist since September 2009. Since then, he’s seen the hospitalist program grow from two doctors to four. That led to a new work schedule—typically seven days on, seven days off.
“The hours are a nice benefit of working as a hospitalist. I get to spend a lot of time with my family. Working here makes it possible for me to be there for my girls as they grow up,” he said. “As much as I love being a doctor, my family is the reason I do everything I do.”
Dr. Michael May and his family
Though his girls are still young—the oldest just finished kindergarten—they are always on the go to one activity or another. Dr. May is quite literally a soccer dad. Between his wife and him, they are chauffeuring the girls from soccer camp to gymnastics or ice skating practice to dance. He loves every second of it.
When he can, although he jokes it isn’t as often as he may like, he enjoys getting some downtime in the great outdoors. From spending time on the lake to fishing with his kids—his oldest daughter enjoys fishing with dad the most—he makes the most of living near so many different lakes.
Dr. May considers himself fortunate that he gets to do what he loves whether at work or at home with his family.
“What’s not to love? When I’m at the hospital, I’m caring for patients. Practicing medicine is what I want to do. And at home, crazy as it may be as the only male in a household of five, I’m right where I want to be,” he said. “Who says you can’t have it all? Dad? Doctor? That’s me.”