“I want all of my patients to leave with the thought that they’ve been heard, that I listened, and that their care reflects their best interests.”
Dr. Melissa Goetter was always interested in medicine. Her parents remember her holding clinics for her toys as a toddler. In early high school, she wrote a paper on becoming an obstetrician. Once in college, she pursued a biology degree with the hope of pursuing geriatrics medicine. It wasn’t until rotations in obstetrics in England that she realized her passion for labor and delivery.
“It was much more hands on at the medical student level in England,” she said. “By the time I came back to the United States, I had delivered 20 or 30 babies all by myself. From the first time I delivered a baby, my love of OB/GYN was solidified.”
As an OB/GYN, Dr. Goetter can care for patients of all ages, from adolescents to the elderly. She can treat any clinical conditions or concerns throughout a women’s life span. Dr. Goetter is focused on evidence-based clinic medicine, and adds to a patient’s plan of care with well-researched treatments.
It’s important to her that patients are well educated and understand their care. She encourages them to reach out with questions during or after an appointment.
“If you take that extra time upfront to educate, patients won’t have as many questions when they get home and they don’t have you there to ask,” Dr. Goetter said. “Patients appreciate the extra time for discussion and questions. It allows their questions to be addressed and gives them the feeling that they have been heard and participated in their health care.”
Dr. Goetter earned her medical degree at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten, Netherland Antilles, and completed her residency at Marshall University - Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in Huntington, West Virginia.
She and her husband have three children. Her life revolves around her family, which is a main reason she moved her practice to Marshfield Clinic Health System. Her family enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing and swimming in the summer and sledding, ice skating, and snowmobiling in the winter. The family also shares a passion for music.