Biography
Barbara VanderHeide is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She sees patients at MidMichigan Medical Offices–Auburn in Auburn, Michigan.
Barbara chose a career in medicine because of her desire to help people reach their optimum health. “I chose to specialize in family medicine to help build strong families by facilitating healthy families,” she said. “My practice is very family-centered and patient-centered. I involve my patients in all decisions and strive to optimize care to meet their needs.” She said optimal health, while different for each patient, always requires commitment. “Commitment to a healthy lifestyle is a daily walk, not a one-time event,” she said. “We all need to keep striving to be our best.”
Barbara has extensive experience in children’s and women’s health. She has a special interest in helping patients manage thyroid disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, asthma, and hormone replacement therapy.
Philosophy of Care
“My goal is to always provide excellent care, while practicing within the standards,” Barbara said. She believes confidence and trust are vital for building open and honest relationships with patients. “Trust is not automatic,” she said. “It’s my responsibility to gain their trust and I do that by being open with them, honest with them and always keeping the relationship patient centered. I want them to have confidence in me, but to also remember that they are in control.”
Kind, caring and honest, Barbara finds satisfaction in guiding patients toward optimal health. “We all have the opportunity to make good and bad choices when it comes to our health,” she said. “I tell patients the risks, benefits and consequences for the choices they make and remind them that the choices are up to them – no one else can make the day-to-day decisions for them.”
Barbara believes in life-long learning, whether that means keeping up-to-date with evidence-based medicine via formal classroom training or absorbing informal lessons from fellow medical professionals. “Every day is a day to learn something new,” she said. “My patients teach me new things all the time.”
Barbara and her husband have three grown children. The couple lives in Midland and takes advantage of the variety of outdoor recreation available. She enjoys biking, hiking, gardening and reading.
