When orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kenyatta Norman first came to Gifford Medical Center in January it was meant to be temporary. She was what the industry calls a locum tenens physician. In simple terms, a locum tenens doctor fills in when a hospital has an opening, hasn’t filled it but doesn’t want patients to have to go without care.
Dr. Norman has spent her career working across the country as a locum. That is, until now.
In Gifford and the region, Dr. Norman has found a place where she wants to continue to work and a community where she wants to live and raise a family.
“I am excited to be here. The people are so warm, friendly and nice. That was part of the reason I decided to stay. This area seems perfect as I will be able to be involved with my future children and continue to give excellent care to my patients,” said Dr. Norman.
A native of Indiana, Dr. Norman pursued medicine in part because someone told her she couldn’t.
“I think somebody told me I couldn’t be a doctor (an older gentleman), and I thought ‘Really? Wow.’ I think that cemented it there,” she said, demonstrating the competitive spirit required to become a great surgeon.
She was a child at the time but becoming a physician became her goal.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Indiana University in Bloomington with a minor in sociology. She went on to medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine.
“I was initially interested in primary care, but after a rotation in general surgery I realized I liked the OR and working with my hands,” she recalled.
And then she did a rotation in orthopedics. “I was enamored after my first orthopedic surgery as a medical student.”
Dr. Norman went on to an orthopedic residency was at Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and then continued onto an orthopedic oncology fellowship at Mount Clemens Medical Regional Center in Michigan.
Since, she has worked at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Hampton, Va., and Martinsburg, W. Va., and at hospitals and health centers in Kentucky, New Mexico, Illinois and Virginia. The New Mexico post was at Indian Health Services.
“I have worked in many different settings,” Dr. Norman said of her career, “and Gifford is definitely at the top!”
At Gifford, Dr. Norman provides general orthopedics care, help for fractures, arthroscopic surgery and more. Her subspecialty is orthopedic oncology.
A good-natured caregiver who is quick to laugh, Dr. Norman says, “I try to make everyone feel at home and I try to make sure everyone understands his or her health problem, and I really try to treat every patient like a member of my family.”
Dr. Norman is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
She is practicing full-time at Gifford in Randolph with physician assistant Brad Salzmann. Previously from St. Louis, she and her husband have made the community their home.
“I am ready to be part of the Gifford team and become a Vermonter. I may even learn to snowboard,” Dr. Norman said.
Call her at Gifford at (802) 728-2455. Appointments can be made by calling central scheduled at (802) 728-2777.
