Dr. Amanda Adkins, Internal Medicine

Practicing internal medicine gives me the opportunity to treat people with a wide range of issues. Some of these include: Preventative medicine, women's health, diabetes, thyroid issues, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, depression and anxiety. My day is exciting because each patient sees me for a different medical issue.

During an appointment, my patients can expect me to pay attention to what they are saying and come up with a treatment plan that involves their input.

Seeing patients take control of their own health brings me the most satisfaction. I like giving little pointers on how to make their health better. Then, when they come back for the next visit - and the things we talked about are working - that's very fulfilling.

As I tell my patients, it's the little things that make a big difference in the long run. When someone says, "I don't have time to exercise," I'll suggest taking the stairs, parking their car further away from a store or taking a 10-minute walk at lunch. If a patient likes eating a lot of sweets, I won't tell them they have to stop eating donuts and ice cream, but see if they can cut down their portion size.

When I'm not in the office, I enjoying running, hiking, being outside, reading, going to the movies and serving as a mentor to young women.