Lansing Native Nick Minnaar Is Resident Doctor

Dr. Nick Minnaar is serving a rotating residency program on Mackinac from Sunday, June 10, to Sunday, June 24.

Dr. Nick Minnaar arrived on Mackinac Island Sunday, June 10, as the most recent member of the Mackinac Island Medical Center's resident physician rotation program. A Lansing native, Dr. Minnaar attended Michigan State University for his undergraduate degree and medical school. He has one year left on a residency in family medicine at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

"It's nice to know where people are coming from, the outlying towns that they come in from," he said of practicing medicine in his hometown. "You often times know people and can connect with people that way, which I've really appreciated. It makes a bigger town seem a little smaller."

Following his residency, he hopes to join a practice in the mid-Michigan area.

Having grown up in Michigan, Mackinac Island was the destination for periodic vacations in his youth. Now he'll be practicing medicine at the medical center until his residency concludes June 24.

"I've really appreciated the diversity of the work here," he said. "It's sort of a primary care setting, but it's also an urgent care and it's also an emergency room. It's more variety than I'm used to."

Dr. Minnaar is here with his wife, Carissa, and their three children.

"It's such a beautiful place and a great opportunity to still get credit for working and be on vacation at the same time," he said.