After completing her training in the chilly Northeast, Jessica Gielow, DO, has found the warm gratitude of her Florida patients to be a pleasant surprise.
“My patients tell me, ‘Thank you for saving my life,’” said Gielow, who joined Medical Specialty Group at Poinciana last August as a general surgeon.
“I admit, I was a little jaded coming from Philadelphia,” she said. “I felt like patients were not very appreciative at all. I never heard, ‘Thank you.’
“Here in Poinciana, the population we care for has limited access to medical care. My patients have been very humble and appreciate what we do for them..”
Gielow’s practice includes a range of open, laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. Her most common procedures are gastrointestional, such as gallbladder surgery, hernia repair and operations for acute appendicitis and colon cancer. She also provides surgical treatment for breast cancer and thyroid problems, as well as smaller in-office procedures to treat cysts or skin lesions.
Gielow came to Poinciana Medical Center from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she completed her internship and residency in general surgery. Her husband, Anthony, is currently in fellowship training for surgical critical care at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
“When I interviewed at Poinciana Medical Center, I enjoyed the hospital and the people I met,” Gielow said. “I’m enjoying the opportunity to practice in a community setting that’s more family-oriented.”
A native of Tennessee, Gielow was raised in a small town as part of a blue-collar family. Her father owns a small business in logging.
“My mom and dad didn’t have much, but they worked hard,” she said. “My drive came from my parents.”
Gielow was attracted to science in her youth, and sought a career in medicine for the challenge it promised. She studied biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at the University of Tennessee for her bachelor of science degree. She went on to earn a doctorate of osteopathic medicine from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.
During medical school, Gielow was drawn to surgery for the same reasons most surgeons choose the field.
“I really enjoy using my hands,” she said. “And I like the immediate gratification of taking a problem and fixing it within a day’s time.”
For her generation of residents, any barriers against women going into surgery seemed easily brushed away, Gielow said.
“You still come across some people in medical school who automatically direct you towards women’s health career paths,” she said. “And there were older physicians who assumed that as a female surgeon, you were going into breast surgery.
“But where I trained, half of the residents were females. I think the issue of barriers to surgical practice is something women faced more in the past than today.”
During her residency training, Gielow worked in general, trauma and vascular surgery for Aria Health System in Philadelphia. She also worked in burn surgery and critical care for the Nathan Speare Regional Burn Center. She spent a good deal of time at the burn center during her second and third years, as well as moonlighting with extra shifts there.
“We had exposure to a variety of patients at burn centers ranging from house fires to soft tissue infections,” she said.
In Florida, stepping into her own practice has been both daunting and exciting. She is joined in practice by Mario Bernal, MD, who joined Poinciana in December.
“It’s been a big transition, going from having people overseeing your patient care to managing your own patients,” Gielow said. “I’m finding it very rewarding helping the very sick patients.
“One of my patients came in for follow up and told me, ‘You’re my angel.’ Hearing things like this is a big reminder: This is why we do what we do.”
Over the past few months, Gielow has also had the chance to offer outreach in the community. She has given lectures on topics like gallbladder disease, hernias, diverticular disease and breast cancer at the Poinciana Library and other community locations.
“Our goals right now are just continuing to grow the volume of our practice and letting people know what we offer,” she said.
Meanwhile, Gielow and her husband are enjoying the Florida lifestyle. They enjoy boating and going to the beach, as well as simply working out at the gym together or running outdoors.
“We always talked about moving to Florida at some point. We both love the warmer weather,” she said. “We’re excited to be here.”
Gielow’s professional memberships include The American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association, American Medical Association and Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.
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