Dr. Helgen sees patients in the Northfield Clinic. She also treats in-patients as a hospitalist.

First job? McDonald’s. I started out as a fry girl, and then I moved on to drive-thru. Fryer was the only job available when I started; I’d come home with burns on my arms. I still have some of the scars to prove it.

Free time? I walk every day. I read prolifically, and I like to antique. I read a lot of world history, especially British histories, and a lot of mysteries.

Best part of your work? Really feeling like a patient and I are on the same page, and that I’ve done something that has helped them tremendously.

Best advice you ever got? My dad always told us to make a decision and live with it. So many times in life there are really hard decisions, and you have to have a certain dedication to it. Commit yourself, throw yourself into your decision whole-heartedly.

Why healthcare? I become a doctor to help people, and also I was really interested in it as an intellectually stimulating profession. I can be hands-on working with people, and also I will never be bored, through relationships with patients and also intellectually. It’s a constant challenge; I’m learning new things all the time.

If not healthcare, what would you be doing? I think I would be a college professor of English trying to write a novel.