one-of-a-kind AT HOME IN NORTH DAKOTA

WORDS : TARA EKREN, ESSENTIA HEALTH PHOTOGRAPHY

is one-of-a-kind in her home state of North Dakota. She is currently the only female orthopedic surgeon practicing in North Dakota. Originally from Ray, North Dakota, her journey to Essentia Health took her from North Dakota to New York to Minnesota to Illinois and finally back to North Dakota.

Keene joined the Orthopedic team at Essentia Health in October 2019 and is happy to be back in Fargo to continue her career. Before returning to Fargo, Keene practiced in Williston and did locum work, which means that she worked temporarily in a practice other than her own. A few years ago, her locum work brought her to Essentia, where she helped cover holidays and vacations. During her time at Essentia, she came to love the facility, the people she was working with and the culture. When a full-time position opened, she jumped at the chance to join the Essentia Health team.

As a general orthopedic surgeon, Keene does a little bit of everything. “I particularly like the knee, so knee replacement is my love,” explains Keene. “I have a sports medicine background, so I see a lot of knee, shoulder and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgeries. I also enjoy the mix of trauma cases that I’m able to see as well,” Keene continues. “I am the kind of person who says if something is broken, I want to fix it. After experiencing orthopedics, I knew orthopedic surgery is where I needed to be.”

Being the only female orthopedic surgeon in North Dakota is something Keene is proud of. One aspect of her work that she loves is the opportunity to mentor other women interested in orthopedics. “We need more exposure to orthopedics for females. There is no reason females cannot be in orthopedics,” Keene says. During her residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, she figures only about six percent of orthopedic surgeons were female. It’s not moving much, although, Keene says, “Now it’s probably closer to 12 percent.”

Less than six months after starting her practice at Essentia Health, the coronavirus pandemic changed the world around us. Elective surgeries, which many joint replacement and other orthopedic surgeries are considered, were put on hold for the safety of patients and staff. A decision Keene agrees with. “We just didn’t know what we were dealing with, so taking the cautious approach to ensure the safety of our patients was the right decision,” she says.

Before the pandemic, virtual visits really weren’t on the radar for orthopedics, but the team has learned that there are many ways to use these visits. While virtual video visits don’t allow for the hands-on portion of an exam, we can certainly see and hear the patient to get a sense of their recovery after surgery or how their function is before a procedure. Virtual visits are also a good way to look at wounds and they are especially useful for those who live in rural areas or are not able to travel to the clinic for their appointment.

“We’ve definitely learned a lot from virtual visits and how we can provide excellent care in a safe environment for our patients,” explains Keene. “We’ve also been able to work with other departments such as physical therapy via virtual visits.”

With a greater understanding of COVID-19 and the necessary precautions to keep patients and staff safe, Essentia Health has resumed elective surgeries again and Keene shares, “We are back to operating in a safe way including a COVID-19 test for all surgical patients and the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) for staff.”

Keene encourages anyone who might be suffering with orthopedic issues to see an orthopedic provider. While orthopedic surgeries typically aren’t life threatening, delaying care or not undergoing a surgery does have effects on your functional level and quality of life. If your knee is hurting, you might be less active and therefore use the knee less. This means you’ll start to lose range of motion and that makes it harder to get it back after surgery. Outcomes of the surgery might not be as optimal as they could be. If you are more debilitated, you will put stress on other limbs. It’s important for patients who need a surgery to move forward with that surgery.

directly with Keene. Call 701-364-8900 to schedule your appointment or learn more on our website, essentiahealth.org.