Sentinel photo by BRADLEY KREITZER
Dr. Edward P. Bzik, right, with his daughter Dr. Victoria Bzik at Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital in Lewistown.
LEWISTOWN — In September when Dr. Victoria Bzik began working at Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital; she not only joined a family of medical professionals, but a member of her actual family. Her dad.
Dr. Edward P. Bzik, who heads the hospital’s emergency department, has been with the facility for 25 years and never thought he’d be working in the same facility as his daughter. Victoria studied medicine in Ireland at the University College Dublin before going on to work in Singapore and completing her residency at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. With her studies all over the world Edward thinks “It’s pretty amazing” that she ended up working in their hometown of Lewistown.
“I never really encouraged her to be a doctor. I always let her make her own decisions,” Edward said. “I probably told her more times not to be one, but she wanted to be one so I was there to support her.”
Victoria was interested in her father’s work at a young age. She recalled seeing her father studying at home and would be interested in the books he was reading. Another catalyst for her medical career was a minor injury she had suffered as a child.
“I cut my head open one day and he sewed me back together. I just thought the ability to be able to heal people and take care of them was something I was interested in,” Victoria said.
Edward said he was sort of surprised his daughter decided to go into medicine after seeing how hard he worked and how much time the job required that kept him from being with his family. Victoria said her mother was worried about her going into medicine because she knew how much of a struggle it was while she was growing up. Victoria said that luckily there have been a lot of positive changes in work/life balances as well as work hour restrictions.
Dr. Victoria Bzik initially thought she would practice emergency medicine, but eventually drifted more toward continuity care. Victoria now specializes in the medical and surgical aspects of obstetrics and gynecology in the hospital’s Women’s Health office.
Even though they work in different departments of Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital the two doctors say they are often connected through their patients.
“It was really surprising when you have such a different last name that no one can ever pronounce and then you come to a clinic and patients say ‘Oh, doctor Bzik! Your dad knows me. I see him in the E.R.’ or people asking if I’m related to the other Dr. Bzik. Things like that,” Victoria said.
Edward added that it’s always nice when he speaks with Victoria’s patients and they talk highly of her.
The two doctors agree there are a lot of benefits to both working at the same hospital, most of which is being able to spend time with family.
“I think work dad is very different than home dad,” Victoria joked.
“I’m very focused and pleasantries to my daughter go out the window when you are in the professional environment,” Edward said. “It’s a fast pace, so you have to keep moving. No time to chit chat.”
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