McCanna joins med clinic staff

Lynette McCanna of St. John, a former nurse at Whitman Hospital has joined the staff at Whitman Medical Group as a nurse practitioner. McCanna was a nurse at the Whitman Hospital for 12 years.

She joined the medical staff as nurse practitioner after earning a master’s at Gonzaga University.

“I think it was just the next step to seeing people at the next step in their life,” she said, pointing out that a nurse practitioner sees people for more preventative medical measures versus a nurse who often sees people after their illnesses have progressed.

She began her new position July 15.

McCanna earned her degree from Gonzaga by taking classes on-line and traveling to the Spokane campus a few times a semester.

McCanna said she has stayed in the medical field this long because she “has a passion for people.”

Working as a nurse practitioner will give her a little more autonomy in her work, she said.

Originally from Chewelah, McCanna worked at Home Health and Hospice services with the hospital and later moved on to working as a nurse for the hospital.

McCanna lives in St. John with her husband, Joey, and their three children, the oldest of which will soon go to Central Washington University.