vLIFELONG LEARNING continued from page 13 teaching Sunday school, and youth groups, when their children were younger. They’ve also taken their daughters Abbey, and Ashley on separate church youth group mission trips to Central America when they were in high school. Pam travelled with Abbey to Belize and Jeff escorted Ashley to Guatemala. Currently Pam is active in the women’s Bible studies group in the winter and participates in the women’s ministry service, which is a special “heart thing” for her. Pam prefers to think of her professional work as part of her personal ministry and something she can do for the people close to home, “because you want to give what you can to others. There’s a whole bunch of need, right in our own back yard. You don’t really need to go far away to figure out how to help people.” When asked about summer plans Pam shares that, “In the summertime everything we love to do is right here in the Yankton area. I don’t have any desire to do anything away from here in the summertime. We like to take advantage of the lake, the golf course, and family time. ” Pam started playing golf when she was in her twenties, after meeting her future husband. She jokes that, “He liked to hunt, fish and golf. I decided I needed to pick one, if I was going to spend time with him. I figured golf was the best option. I play golf, that doesn’t mean I’m good at golf.” she humbly states. The couple loves to putt at www.visioncareassociates.net 605.665.2020 2701 Fox Run Parkway, Yankton, SD 57078 14vHERVOICEvJULY/AUGUST 2019 Hillcrest in town, and they sometimes play at other courses as well. The couple also hope to attend a professional golf tournament sometime in the near future. The VanMeeteren family “has never pushed education with the kids, but I think they’ve seen the importance of it. Yet, there isn’t anything that says you have to have a Masters or a Doctorate degree in order to be fulfilled with what you’re doing. It’s not an absolute for anybody. My final completion of the doctorate wasn’t required to do clinical practice. Futuristically however, nurse practitioners will likely have to get a DNP degree for practice. I wanted to earn my terminal degree before I’m terminal.” she chuckles. “It was a personal goal, regardless if it would have a huge impact on my practice.” Pam believes that “Even if you think you know a lot, there is so much more to learn! So, no education is ever wasted.” While many professionals in various fields suffer from career burnout, Pam reveals the things that have enabled her to stay strong in a demanding profession. “The things that help keep you the most grounded are your family, having a good team at your work environment, and most important for me, is my faith. There’s no pill that’s more effective than someone knowing that they are genuinely cared for. My work has always been my mission.” n 1985 Bachelor of Arts in Nursing Augustana College 1993 Master of Science in Nursing South Dakota State University 1996 Post Masters with certification as Family Nurse Practitioner South Dakota State University 2014 Post Master with certification as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner University of Nebraska Medical Center 2018 Certification as Certified Addiction Registered Nurse - Advance Practice (CARN-AP) 2019 Doctorate of Nursing Practice South Dakota State University A S S O C I AT E S Dr. Steven Anderson, Dr. Aaron Feser, Dr. Laura Slowey