The best heroes are the ones who don't actually realize that they're heroes. And according to those that know him, there is no better way to describe EvergreenHealth Monroe physician Dr. James Swenson.
An orthopedic surgeon in Monroe since 1998, Swenson specializes in sports medicine, elective surgeries like hip and knee replacements, trauma injuries and arthritis. He is also a colonel in the United States Army Reserves, and will be leaving this month to serve out a four-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. Throughout his military career, Swenson has served in Bosnia, Haiti and Afghanistan, and been deployed to Iraq on three separate occasions.
This will be Swenson's seventh deployment and his second time serving in Afghanistan.
Originally from the Kent area, Swenson became interested in orthopedics while still in high school. After earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, he made the decision to pursue medicine in earnest. He applied to several different medical schools, eventually settling on the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington D.C., for which he sought a military scholarship to offset the high cost of tuition.
"Once you got accepted into medical school you could apply for a scholarship and they would pay for your schooling,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "Then once you're done with your schooling, then you work as a doctor for them for so many years.GÇ¥
He and his wife Elizabeth moved to Washington D.C. together, later returning to Washington so that Swenson could complete his residency at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis. The two settled in Monroe in 1998 and have remained there ever since. They are extremely proud of their son, a Monroe High School graduate, who has also decided to pursue a career in orthopedic medicine.
Swenson enjoys the definitive scope of practice within the field of orthopedics. He loves being able to improve his patients' quality of life through things like hip and knee replacements, and the thought of fixing something broken or fractured is especially appealing to him.
"I do a lot of trauma,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "There's something very satisfying with orthopedics because you're fixing broken things.GÇ¥
His military deployments have included everything from humanitarian missions to treating soldiers wounded in combat. He is never quite sure what a deployment will entail until he arrives on the scene.
On past occasions, Swenson has served with a 20-person medical team made up of general surgeons, nurses, medics and an anesthesiologist. This time, the medical group will meet in Fort Bliss, Texas, for a week of training before they depart.
"It's always really good people. They're very well trained and it's just kind of an interesting adventure. I always think of it like that TV show "Survivor,'GÇ¥ Swenson said. "They kind of throw you on an island and you have to survive. That's kind of how it works.GÇ¥
Typically, Swenson will work out of a medical center that has been set up either in tents or in abandoned buildings. Once he arrives, he spends time performing orthopedic surgery on soldiers, civilians and children. It's a long way from home, explained Swenson, and the practice of medicine is completely different during deployments than it is at his practice.
"They're just totally different injuries,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "When people step on a mine or these improvised explosive devices, the injuries are just devastating.GÇ¥
During his deployment to Afghanistan three years ago, he was tasked with removing a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) that had gotten lodged inside a soldier's shoulder. Rather than exploding on impact, the device had simply gotten stuck there.
"It didn't go off, so it stuck in him,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "Nobody knew what was going to happen.GÇ¥
An anesthesiologist working with Swenson put the soldier under general anesthesia, and they performed the surgery out in a hot, dusty field away from their medical tent.
"We kind of did it in an interesting way so no one was around and so I could just kind of cut it open,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "It was through his shoulder, in one side, coming halfway out the other.GÇ¥
The kill-radius on an RPG can extend up to 26-feet. If an RPG does not explode on impact, it could mean that it's a dud, which is not a guarantee that it won't detonate. Another possibility is that whoever fired it failed to remove the safety cap on the projectile, which would mean that the device could easily explode if not handled correctly.
Fortunately, Swenson successfully removed the device and nobody was injured during the procedure.
"That was an interesting one. There's a lot of crazy things like that,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "You just kind of make it up as you go along.GÇ¥
Currently, American soldiers in Afghanistan are working with Afghan soldiers and police, to help better equip local forces in the fight against Taliban insurgents. The United States Military has been a participant in the war in Afghanistan for over 13 years, the longest in American history. Swenson expects to treat both American and Afghan soldiers while he's there.
"We treat their injuries GÇô if the Afghan soldiers get injured or hurt GÇô at least, in the past we would treat them,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "So I'm assuming that's what I'll be doing.GÇ¥
"We'll often treat the civilians too,GÇ¥ he continued. "I never completely know until I get there.GÇ¥
Another doctor will help balance the workload in Monroe while Swenson is serving in Afghanistan.
Swenson speaks very highly of the team at his Monroe clinic, including medical assistant Mandy Geiger, clinic supervisor Beckie Freed, surgery scheduler Monique Krogen and receptionist Stacey Hillyard. In addition to being filled with relics and acknowledgements from his many deployments, Swenson's office is decorated with Spiderman memorabilia GÇô all put there by his team.
"They gave me the name Spiderman,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "I don't know why.GÇ¥
According to Swenson's staff, the Spiderman-theme is actually a nod to both his long legs and his profoundly humble character. Initially started by Krogen, the superhero nickname just seemed to fit.
"It started with daddy long legs and quickly turned into Spiderman,GÇ¥ Hillyard said. "Daddy long legs didn't do this amazing man justice. It had to be more powerful.GÇ¥
Sultan resident Mandy Geiger has worked with Swenson for many years. She attributes his success in Monroe to several things, including his medical expertise, the equity of experience that he provides for his patients and the fact that he prioritizes the needs of his patients above all else.
"He is an amazing doctor GÇô he always makes sure patient care comes first,GÇ¥ Geiger said. "He treats every patient the same, no matter which path they have chosen to walk, and because of this, he has built a very reputable, successful practice.GÇ¥
Swenson's clinic, which transitioned from ProOrtho to EvergreenHealth Orthopedic & Sports Care in 2014, is located inside the Sky Valley Medical Center adjacent to EvergreenHealth Monroe. He likes the connectedness of the Monroe community and has enjoyed watching the hospital's successful transformation as a result of the alliance with EvergreenHealth.
"Monroe has been a great place to practice,GÇ¥ Swenson said. "It's just a small enough community that everybody kind of knows each other and it makes it very easy to take care of the patients.GÇ¥
For more information on Dr. Swenson, please visit: https://www.evergreenhealth.com/about_evergreen/news_room/press_releases/evergreenhealth_welcomes_new_provider_orthopedic_surgeon_dr_james_d_swens.
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