Biography
Amy Raetz-Benner, A.G.A.C.N.P.-B.C., D.N.P., is a board-certified adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner with MyMichigan Health and is a member of the comprehensive heart and vascular team. This team includes cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, vascular and cardiothoracic surgeons, as well as cardiovascular trained nurses.
Amy started as a high school co-op within the emergency department which led to her desire to pursue a career in the field of medicine. She chose to specialize in cardiology because the heart is at the center of everything. “Heart disease can affect multiple other systems within the body making it important to effectively treat,” she said.
The most satisfying aspect of her work is seeing a patient’s quality of life improve based on the care she’s able to provide them. “Seeing a change in an individual’s ability to do the activities they enjoy provides me with great gratification,” she added.
Philosophy of Care
Amy believes that effective patient care involves addressing all of the patient’s needs, while determining how to individualize their care. “I feel that patients should receive adequate education on their disease process so that they can make effective decisions about their treatment options,” she added. “I enjoy getting to know my patients on a personal basis which helps me to individualize their care. I like to develop trusting relationships with my patients so that they feel comfortable disclosing the information necessary for me to provide excellent care based on their disease process.”
Amy believes that having previous experience as an Intensive Care Unit nurse helped provide her with a different perspective on delivering patient care. She also has an acute care specialty which offers an alternative point of view to providing holistic care.
Special Interests and Procedures
Amy looks forward to developing specific areas of interest within the field of cardiology. She is excited about recent minimally-invasive structural heart procedures, like transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), which have transformed heart surgery and provided treatment for patients unable to undergo open heart surgery. “I feel that offering these advanced procedures locally has been great for patients throughout central and northern Michigan,” she added.
Amy and her husband Brett, have a daughter named Alba and a son named Brandtley. In her free-time, she enjoys playing the piano, traveling, camping and spending time with her family. She is excited to begin her career in her hometown of Midland.
