BEMIDJI — Not many people can look back and say they’ve accomplished everything they had hoped for at the beginning of their career, even if the where and how were different than expected.
But as Dr. David Wilcox prepares to retire after 35 years as a family physician in Bemidji, he can say he’s done just what he dreamed of doing when he first applied to medical school.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I found the theme I wrote to get into medical school. It was really something that as a young person you hope for, and it was pretty idealistic,” Wilcox shared before quoting his personal statement: “‘I want to help people for everything, whether it’s a heart attack or a wart. I just want to be a part of helping care for them.’”
Looking back at his decades of caring for patients, Wilcox believes he’s been able to do just that — alongside joys and challenges he never expected.
“It kind of came true, even if it was sort of an idealistic impression of what life would be like,” he said.
Retiring as Sanford Bemidji’s vice president medical officer, Wilcox was first introduced to the world of medicine through his family. Both of his parents worked in the field, his mother as a nurse and his father in hospital management.
“I grew up in a family that had a medical background. That was just the world that came to me,” Wilcox explained.
He began to work toward becoming a doctor, attending Marquette University for his undergraduate degree and going to the Medical College of Wisconsin.
It was there that he met his wife, Jane, and they began to build a life together. Neither of them expected to leave the Wisconsin area, let alone move to northern Minnesota, but life had other plans.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I got a cold call (from Bemidji), somehow they got my name and recruited me,” Wilcox said, “to which I said no twice.”
Eventually, however, he decided to visit Bemidji and see what the practice was like. After meeting the physicians and talking with them about their mission, both he and Jane were sold.
“We just really appreciated (the physicians’) service to the community and their outlook,” Wilcox explained. “Not only caring for patients but being a contributing member of the community outside of work.”
Life in Bemidji
In 1988 Wilcox became the 25th physician practicing in Bemidji, and he and Jane quickly fell in love with the community around them.
“I really have loved the quality of partners I’ve been colleagues with,” he said. “They’ve had the same values of delivering outstanding care to our community and doing everything we possibly can to take great care of people.”
As a family physician Wilcox shared the joy and gratitude he’s had getting to know and caring for his patients through the years.
“I’ve loved taking care of as many as four generations of a single family,” he shared. “I really love the connection. (Patients) are the people you see and get to know in the community.”
ADVERTISEMENT
As the decades passed, Wilcox also saw Bemidji's health system grow and change.
“I always say I’ve seen every version of physician practice that has existed in Bemidji, and in health care,” he explained.
Wilcox attributes becoming involved in leadership to the mentorship he was given from those first physicians he worked with.
“They saw something that got me involved in leadership pretty early on. Within just a few years those mentors tapped on me to say ‘Could you do this? Could you do that? (I had) no anticipation that I would end up where I am today,” he recalled.
His position in leadership meant that in 2020 he was tapped for a role he had never expected to take: helping communicate with the public during a global pandemic.
“I never anticipated as a family doctor the involvement (I would have) with public health and the media,” Wilcox said. “When I started my career I thought I’d be taking care of patients as individuals, (COVID) really made us think about taking care of our community in a crisis.”
Wilcox became Sanford’s resident expert on COVID-19, sharing updates, encouraging prevention measures like vaccines and masking, and helping members of the public stay knowledgeable and safe.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I think remaining steadfast in the science of what was going on and being an educator for our community on why we’re doing what we’re doing (was very important),” Wilcox shared. “(COVID) was the biggest unexpected challenge, but you just put one foot in front of the other and do what needs to be done to take care of our community.”
Looking forward
But after more than three decades of caring for patients, Wilcox is moving on to the next phase of his life and is looking forward to holding on to the relationships he’s forged during his time as a physician.
“I’m always forward-thinking,” Wilcox added. “Maintaining those connections, keeping in touch with those people who have been special to you over the years, that’s what I’ll be doing.”
A retirement party for Wilcox was the first step in celebrating those relationships, held Friday at the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center with colleagues and friends. As for what comes after, he has decided not to create definite plans, instead, he hopes to just enjoy life unscheduled for a while.
“I’ve spent a lifetime planning well in advance, and that’s not my nature, my nature is to be a little more spontaneous than that,” he said. “For right now there is no plan, I’m just going to try it on and see what fits.”
Looking back on his decades in Bemidji, he shared his gratitude for how his life and career have gone.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I got to take care of people whether they had warts or a heart attack, whatever it was,” Wilcox left off. “That was a blessing, a gift that came true.”
The Trust Project
