Get to know Natalie Ebeling-Koning, DO, medical toxicology fellow.
Career goal: I’m looking for a career that includes both toxicology and emergency medicine. I have interests in pre-hospital care and rural emergency medicine, appreciate variety and adventure, and am excited about where life will take me!
The fellowship is busy, but there is a strong emphasis placed on wellness and the importance of work-life balance.
What makes your LVHN training program different from others across the country?
The high consult volume and time spent with patients set LVHN apart. While we certainly have our fair share of table-top didactics, a great deal of teaching and learning occurs at the bedside on rounds, which is excellent for kinesthetic learners. Our daily list includes both “true tox” cases as well as a large number of addiction medicine consults, and I feel that training at LVHN enables a comprehensive educational experience no matter where toxicology fellows may choose to take their careers. There is currently a great need in this country for compassionate care of those with substance use disorders, and LVHN empowers the fellows to make a great difference in the lives of many patients.
What piece of advice would you share with someone as they select a training program?
Choose a fellowship where you feel at home, and one that fits your learning style. Toxicology also attracts many unique personalities, so ensure that you feel welcome and comfortable with those already present at the fellowship.
What does it mean to be a fellow at LVHN?
As a toxicology fellow at LVHN, you are part of a collaborative team with the other fellows and attendings. We work together and support each other on and off service, and there is constant group effort devoted to making things better for our patients, the fellows and the toxicology service overall. The fellowship is busy, but there is a strong emphasis placed on wellness and the importance of work-life balance.
What has been the most extraordinary part of your training experience so far?
I’ve had the opportunity to see innumerable diverse patients thus far as a fellow, and the breadth of experience in bedside management is precisely what I’d hoped to gain from this fellowship specifically. I also value the incredible support of all the LVHN toxicology attendings of the fellows’ academic interests.
What is one memory you have from your training so far that will stick with you for your career?
I will forever remember the support and camaraderie of my co-fellows, and the way the LVHN toxicology department feels like a big family.