Dr. Jen Brull practices family medicine in a Kansas town of only 2,000. Her practice — Prairie Star Family Practice, which she opened in Plainville, Kan., in 2002 — serves residents in the town and across the county. Dr. Brull collaborates with four other family physicians and three midlevel providers in the community, and the scope of her practice is full, "delivering babies to nursing home, ER to hospice, inpatient and outpatient," Brull said. She describes her practice (and family) as, "very closely integrated into the community. It is not uncommon to see my patients in church or the grocery store. They are my Facebook friends and Twitter followers. They are definitely more than just patients." She also has a special interest in health information technology and quality improvement.

Q: What led you into the practice of family medicine?

Dr. Brull: My mentors were family physicians and pediatricians, so I always knew I would do primary care. I actually was drawn to peds, and even led PIG (Pediatrics Interest Group) in med school my second year! My first clinical rotation was in family medicine, though, and I found my "fit" on day one. I didn't expect to love all of the things a family physician does, but with each experience I learned more about family medicine as a specialty and myself as a provider.

Q: What surprised you most as a new physician? In what way(s) was practice not what you expected?

Dr. Brull: I worked as an employed physician for eight months straight out of residency and found out that really wasn't a good fit for me. I opened my own practice a year out of residency and have been there ever since. I found out I am my own best boss!

Q: What do you love about your work? What is the greast reward or benefit you receive as a family physician?

Dr. Brull: I am passionate about quality improvement and using EHRs (Electronic Health Records) to help us improve quality. I love seeing our numbers when it comes to population health. It is very rewarding to know that I am responsible for screening a larger percentage of my patients for breast or colon cancer. My best reward is when I make a personal connection to one of my patients. Getting a card in the mail that says, "you're a great doctor and I'm so glad you're my doctor," really makes my day.

Q: What do you wish you knew when you were in medical school? What advice would you give youself back then?

Dr. Brull: I wish I had been more confident about my role as a member of the medical team and my importance as a person. If I had been more self-assured, I certainly could have resolved some of the conflicts I witnessed! I also would have enjoyed taking the basic science classes a lot more — really absorbed the information instead of cramming it in to get a decent grade.