Доктор Джозеф Полпетер завершил 32-летнюю карьеру в клинике Макфарленд в Маршаллтауне

Todays News By Sara Jordan-Heintz 4 min read It's been 37 years since Dr. Joseph Pollpeter began practicing medicine in Marshalltown. This week, he hung up his stethoscope, retiring from McFarland Clinic after 32 years in its employ. "I was going to retire last year, but just because of shortages, et cetera, I proposed and they agreed, I'd work every other week, and have for the past year," he noted. "It's helped my patients, it's helped the people here. They've done some hiring." A native of Normal, a town located in the heart of Illinois, he gained knowledge of and an appreciation for the medical field at a young age. On his mother's side of the family, some of her uncles were physicians. He got his tonsils out in kindergarten, broke his elbow in second grade, and fell ill in third grade with what had likely been Guillain-Barré -- a rare but serious condition where the immune system goes after nerves. "The teachers came to the hospital back then with my homework," he said. When he hit fifth grade, his baby brother developed liver failure. "He had his liver transplant in '89 when he was a senior in high school," the doctor noted. After graduating high school, Pollpeter attended the University of Notre Dame, earning a degree in preprofessional studies. "It's kind of a broad range of science plus liberal arts. It was a pretty common degree for people in the pre-med track at Notre Dame," he said. He then enrolled at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria. Upon graduating from medical school, he moved to Cedar Rapids for family practice residency. It was a chance encounter with Marshalltown doctor Milton VanGundy that would present Pollpeter with a job opportunity. "He talked to us at a retreat, which really got me interested in the practice. It's how I ended up here in Marshalltown," he said. Dr. Ed Jacobs, who retired in the early 90s, founded the clinic: Marshalltown Family Physicians. "Getting out of residency in '89, I had the opportunity to join what I felt was probably one of the premier family practice groups in the state," he said. "We had Jim Burke, we had VanGundy, Dave Thomas, Mike Miriovsky, and then a couple years later, after I was here, Dr. Jebsen joined us and Dr. Thurston." The clinic's name changed to Center For Family Medicine in 1992. The practice was obtained by McFarland Clinic in November 1994. "When we started, we were covering the ER, doing hospital work. We were going to the nursing homes...It's transitioned into completely an outpatient practice," he said of his work. He noted that while some med school students select a focus or a specialty, he always envisioned general medicine for his career. "In med school, you got to learn about everything anyway. It's just when you get into residency with your specialization, whether or not you need to be a master of a broad range of topics or a master of a narrow focus," he said. After nearly four decades as a doctor, Pollpeter has seen major changes in healthcare and insurance companies' requirements. "I think it's a lot harder job to do now than it was in 1990," he said. But the technological advances have been awe-inspiring to see. "When I got started, there was no such thing as laparoscopic surgery, other than some diagnostic stuff in gynecology," he said. "There was a surgeon in town by the name Dr. Charles J. Filipi who actually did the first laparoscopic gallbladder (surgery) in the state and one of the first in the whole country...When I got started, people would have heart stents, and pretty much every six months you'd have to have a new stent because that's all they were lasting. Now with newer medicines, with newer stents, they last for a long, long, long time." It's been rewarding for him to see more treatment options available for patients, the likelihood of better treatment outcomes, and prolonging life. "It was an enjoyable practice, the clinic was a great place to work, and I enjoy the town," he said. "The grass wasn't any greener any place else." Balancing work and home life could be challenging. "It amazes me as I see some of the younger people in this office with their kids. I ask myself, 'how the heck do they do it?' You just have to be efficient," he said. In retirement, Pollpeter plans to spend more time with his wife Susan. They have four adult daughters: Kate Schwenker, Jacque Hudson, Molly Pollpeter and Lindsay Alexander. His hobbies include gardening and hunting.