Community health physician wants to make a difference

MOSES LAKE — Family Medicine physician Morgan Fife said practicing medicine has been a very satisfying career. 

“I feel like I'm the best version of myself when I'm working hard to help other people,” Fife said. “I feel like the things that I do make a difference, not just in each individual's life, but in the community itself.” 

Fife is a physician at Moses Lake Community Health Center. He graduated from medical school in 2011, he said, went to Wisconsin for his residency, then worked for a couple of years at Samaritan Healthcare before moving to MLCHC.  

“We looked around at a lot of places, and we decided that Moses Lake was going to be a good place to raise a family,” he said.  

The family practice specialty is one of the foundations of medicine. 

“We see patients from birth until death, so all ages,” Fife said. “We're sort of the first line of defense for most medical problems, so anything that bothers you, your first stop is usually either a family medicine doctor or an internal medicine doctor.” 

While his interest in medicine dates back to first aid classes in his childhood, he began getting seriously interested in medicine while in college, he said. 

“I had a friend's dad who was a surgeon, and I got to follow him around a little bit and see what he did. Then a friend of a friend who was an ophthalmologist piqued my interest in the medical field. And I'd always had an interest in science. That’s what got me started,” he said. 

Moses Lake Community Health has a focus on underserved patients, Fife said, which was one of the things that attracted him. Helping patients get adequate coverage and finding more economical ways to provide care are part of the practice.  

“Many of our patients just prefer the community health setting. They appreciate the care that they get, and most of our providers have been here for quite some time and plan to be here for years to come,” Fife said. “That's a benefit that they don't often see in other settings.” 

The long term relationships bring their own challenge, he said, one most doctors don’t anticipate when they start their careers. 

“One thing that people don't realize is the sicker a person becomes, the more often they meet with their doctor, which means we become really good friends,” he said. “The closer we become, the harder it is to say goodbye to these people. Part of being a doctor is making really good friends and then saying goodbye to them.” 

His advice to his patients, Fife said, is that they have a role to play in staying healthy.  

“I think what I'm trying to change is just encouraging people to take a more active role in their own health,” he said. “If I could just encourage people to make some good lifestyle choices, eat a little better, exercise a little more, they'd have to see me a whole lot less, and I think they'd be a lot happier. But sometimes that's a hard sell. We all have busy lives, and sometimes it's hard to fit in exercise. And you know, I like food that tastes good too.”