Corydon – January 13, 2011: When Galen Daniels was just a young boy growing up in Moulton, he knew what he wanted to do with his life. He says he wasn’t sick much, but always liked going to the medical clinic because he looked up to the doctors. Daniels wanted to help people and he saw the medical providers doing that. “I knew that was something I wanted to do,” Daniels said. “They played an important role in the community and had an impact on so many people’s lives.” Today, he is beginning to make the same kind of impact, as the most recent addition to the medical team at South Central Iowa Medical Clinic where he started seeing patients on Jan. 2.
Daniels, a certified physician assistant, earned his master’s degree at Des Moines University and had clinical rotations in a variety of metro and rural medical facilities across Iowa.
A graduate of Moulton-Udell High School, Daniels earned his associate arts and sciences degree from Indian Hills Community College, where he also played on the IHCC baseball team. He then received a bachelor of science degree at Simpson College before going on to Des Moines University.
All along, his aim was to return to southern Iowa to practice medicine. His experiences in clinical rotations reinforced that dream.
It was time spent in Albia working with Dr. Joel Baker that eventually brought Daniels to Wayne County and South Central Iowa Medical Clinic.
“Family practice is something I have always wanted to do. It’s very exciting to come here where I can work with Dr. Baker. He is a great role model and mentor,” Daniels said.
As for that, Daniels said, “You can’t beat the people here, the front office, the nursing staff, the providers. It’s a win on all levels. The other providers are all so helpful and work together. It’s amazing.”
Another win for Daniels is the opportunity to serve his community. He says he has already had the pleasant surprise of seeing patients he knows.
Daniels says he especially enjoys “suturing, taking care of fractures and things of that nature,” but the time spent in the emergency department in Ottumwa taught him that as much as he likes being able to help people at what may be the worst time of their life, he wants to go further than that. In family practice, he is able to see the results of that emergency treatment and enjoys the satisfaction of the patient’s recovery.
Coming back to practice medicine in southern Iowa means a lot to Daniels. He looks at other staff members, several who also grew up in southern Iowa and attended local area high schools. “It’s great to see southern Iowa people are getting a good education here and returning to take professional roles in the community,” Daniels says. He has a message for area youth. “Be proud of where you come from. You never know, you might end up back where you started.”
Daniels is currently living in Moulton, here his mother Leann is a teachers’ aide at Moulton-Udell Schools and his father Frank owns and operates a full-service gas station. His old brother, Clayton, is a state trooper and younger brother Jordin is a senior at Moulton-Udell.
Time with friends and family is important to Daniels. “I like to just really relax, go fishing, hunting and spend time in the outdoors.” He also likes movies, sports in general and Cardinals’ baseball in particular.
Most of all, Daniels says he likes rural Iowa, where there are different dynamics and expectations than in a metropolitan area, yet the convenience of a larger city is not too far away. He sums it up with this, “You simply can’t beat the type of people in a rural community.” (by Willa Clark, Reporter, The Times Republican)