Freeman News
Medicine is Family Tradition for New Freeman OB/GYN
September 02, 2020
Dr. Megan Carlson Returns to Where She Started as a Medical Student
Joplin, MO – Born and raised in Pittsburg, Kansas, Dr. Megan Carlson is coming home to join Freeman Health System as an obstetrician and gynecologist. “It’s my dream job!” she says.
Her father is an internal medicine physician in Pittsburg, and her mother is a nurse practitioner in endocrinology in Kansas City.
“I grew up in hospitals,” says Dr. Carlson. “I wasn’t pressured to go into medicine, but my dad was a positive influence. He would take me to the hospital and read an echocardiogram. If you were good, you got ice cream. He even took part in my hooding ceremony at my graduation from medical school.”
Dr. Carlson isn’t just coming home geographically; she’s also coming home to Freeman Health System, where she trained as a medical student.
“As a student, I worked with Dr. Rob McNab and internal medicine,” Dr. Carlson says. “I found all the internal support I needed to be completely prepared for my residency at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio. I had such a great experience that I am looking forward to someday working with medical students from KCU Joplin.”
A graduate of Pittsburg State University, Dr. Carlson attended medical school through Kansas City University Medical School. She knew she wanted a surgical specialty and discovered her calling while shadowing an OB/GYN her second year.
“I was there with a first-time mother, and I loved the process of bringing life into the world and knowing I was part of it!”
She also worked with Drs. Angela Langer and Craig Chandler doing rotations at Freeman.
“They were mentors and are now colleagues,” she says. “There was nothing better I could have asked for than to work with the people who started my training.”
Dr. Carlson is a member of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is certified in Rosser Top Gun Advanced Laparoscopic Training, Neonatal Resuscitation Program and Electronic Fetal Monitoring. She welcomes patients at Freeman Women’s Healthcare Associates in Suite 401 of the Wes & Jan Houser Women’s Pavilion.
To make an obstetrics or gynecologic appointment with Dr. Megan Carlson, call 417.347.7009.
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2019, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System the Best Hospital in Southwest Missouri for 2019. With more than 300 physicians on staff representing more than 70 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.