Kevin T . McLaughlin , D . O .
ER Physician , War Memorial Hospital ; Staff ER Physician , Potomac Valley Hospital ; and Deputy Health Officer , Berkeley-Morgan County Board of Health
AMANDA LARCH
When one door closes , another one opens — this is something Kevin McLaughlin , D . O ., has experienced firsthand . Feeling discouraged after closing his surgical practice in 2004 , McLaughlin , now an emergency room ( ER ) physician at War Memorial Hospital , accepted a Sunday ER shift at the Berkeley Springs hospital . From there , he was offered more shifts , and in 2006 , it became a full-time position in a community he loves .
“ Being an ER physician at War Memorial has been a great opportunity for me ,” says McLaughlin . “ I ’ m a very social being , and the ability to interact with so many different people from the local community has been very helpful . I also think people like being treated by someone that ’ s part of the community .”
While McLaughlin loves his job , he also acknowledges the challenges that come with working in a small ER .
“ You are the show ,” he says . “ There is no other physician in the hospital for much of the time . I need to be able to adapt from suturing a laceration to a cardiac arrest to a fracture quickly .”
McLaughlin earned his bachelor ’ s degree in biology from Saint Francis University and his Doctor of Osteopathy from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine . After completing an internship with the Crozer- Chester Medical System and a general
surgery residency at Memorial Hospital of York , McLaughlin and his family moved to Berkeley Springs .
His journey to becoming a general surgeon was not an easy one . Inspired by an orthopaedic surgeon he saw as a child , Dr . Schwartz , McLaughlin knew he wanted to be like Schwartz — but he needed a little push during undergrad to take school more seriously . When he made it to medical school , McLaughlin had another mentor whose advice he still heeds .
“ The director of my surgical residency , Dr . Phillip Scott , really pushed me to focus on the fine details ,” he says . “ This instilled the need to be focused and detailed about every patient . I remember him
Photo by Nick Matheson .
once saying , ‘ The easiest thing you ’ ll do after residency will be to operate and the hardest will be to not operate . The hard part will be figuring out which option is right for your patient .’ I ’ ve strived to keep that in mind for every patient I ’ ve seen since .”
McLaughlin passes on that spirt of mentorship , as each year at War Memorial , a third-year medical student completes rotations in the ER department under his guidance . He also teaches advanced cardiac life support to nurses , doctors and medical students .
“ There are many people in the medical profession much smarter and more dexterous than myself , but I think I have the
114
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE