Grandson joins granddad in health care

ELDORADO, Ill. — Ferrell Hospital boasts what is undoubtedly one of the few grandfather-grandson combinations in rural health care.

Since Andrew Hosman joined the practice last year as a physician assistant at Gallatin County Wellness Center and Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado, he has served under his grandfather, Dr. Elliott Partridge. Partridge, who just began his 43rd year in practice at the hospital, is chief of the medical staff and chief of emergency medicine.

Hosman decided to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps after a job-shadowing day in high school.

“He’s the reason I wanted to get into health care,” Hosman said.

Hosman initially planned to go into cardiology.

“Then he spent the last two months (of his training) with me and he decided family practice was more interesting than the heart,” Hosman said.

Hosman also is the second-oldest of nine children, so he decided to follow instincts developed in a large family.

“I like dealing with pediatrics, with kids, and you don’t get a lot of that with cardiology,” Hosman said.

Hosman decided to become a PA because he wanted the best of both worlds — a family life and a rewarding career in medicine, he said.

Partridge keeps legendary hours. He used to work a 110-hour week; now he’s scaled back to about 80 hours, counting emergency room shifts.

“I’m definitely a Type A,” Partridge said.

Partridge said he fell into the habit of working long hours when his practice was beginning in 1968 because he had to keep Ferrell Hospital open and running.

Like most people, Hosman finds it hard to keep up with Partridge.

“Heck no,” Hosman said. “I’ve had nurses say he’s slowed down since he started and if what he does is slow, then I’d hate to have seen him earlier.”

Hosman said he used to work the emergency room call with Partridge, and “I was worthless for the next two days.”

But the hard work is undoubtedly helpful to Hosman in establishing his practice. The Gallatin County Wellness Center is relatively new and provides school-based health care and a general rural practice. The wellness center provides acute care, preventive and pediatric care, wellness, new baby care and wellness care, to name a few services. Anyone in the region can come to the center regardless of income, so people from all walks of life come through the doors.

Both men say their relationship now is a good learning experience.

“Being my grandfather and having to be a certain age to be a physician, there is a wealth of knowledge I can gain from him,” Hosman said.

“Probably one of the biggest reasons is I like the fact that I have somebody there who is smarter than I am when I’m stumped,” Hosman said.

The relationship is rewarding for Partridge because “it tends to keep me on my toes, too, because he asks me questions that I have to think about or look up,” he said.

Hosman is flourishing under the tutelage of his grandfather.

“I delivered him 27 years ago, and that’s the only time I ever had to spank his butt,” Partridge said.