Hooked on PC with Gail Guerrero-Tucker, MD, MPH, FAAFP, DABFM

Medicine was an interesting thought as I was growing up with no medical people in my family.

I had decided I was going to be the first female, Mexican, physician astronaut. I have no idea how my younger self came to that conclusion, but I kept telling my five brothers that I would outshine them all and do this!

Life, however, had a different idea. I left college to get married and followed my military spouse around for many years. I finally went back to school, and by the luck of the draw, I was able to restart my path to medicine. It was winding ... it wound through obstacles because of my age, weight and motherhood, but I finally got here.

Primary care has been the only thing that has ever appealed to me — the ability to get to people at the basic level of health and the health care system, helping them navigate the obstacles to getting what the system says is good health care, and also helping them navigate when that is not ideal for them. I love what I do, and I would do it again!

I am in a small rural community where the “partialists” know us and appreciate what we do. I see “Will defer to Dr. Guerrero on diabetes management, thyroid, etc.” on consult notes because they understand that this is what we do. I will yell it from the rooftops... “We are the best!” Now let’s get paid for it!

Gail Guerrero-Tucker, MD, MPH, FAAFP, DABFM
Member of the American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors
Member of the AAFP Foundation Board of Trustees
Co-owner of Gila Valley Clinic in Safford, Arizona