For thirty years, April Gibson has poured her heart and soul into Puget Sound Orthopaedics (PSO). She started with the practice as a file clerk when there were two physicians in a small little office in Lakewood. April has seen this practice explode into three locations, a surgery center, and an MRI suite with more than 25 providers. Never one to shy away from an opportunity, April worked her way up from file clerk to receptionist, to surgery scheduler, to biller, to manager and has been the administrator since 1999.
Now she is taking on another new challenge, accepting the role of regional executive director with our corporate office, Proliance Surgeons.
“PSO has been part of my everyday life, 30 years of my career and is truly my heart,” says April.
Dedicated to Caring
The list of things that April does not do is a shorter list than what she does. Her favorite aspect of her job is giving opportunities to staff to grow. She wants everyone to understand the power and influence they have as an individual.
“Never settle for the status quo and never be afraid to speak up,” she says.
When April first started here she was a single mother on welfare with no post-secondary education. She is a beaming example of practicing what she preaches.
She has often been the first person in the office and the last person to leave the office. It is a wonder how she finds free time but she miraculously does and her list of hobbies is a long one.
Creativity & Perseverance
April enjoys creating, whether it is sewing, writing, painting or photography. She enjoys hanging out with her grandkids and loves to travel. This year she took some of her grandkids to Europe. In her office, hanging from the wall, is a map of the world with pins stuck in places she has visited. Her favorite places, though, are where she is with family and is able to create shared memories with them, no matter how mundane the place might be. She can have a more memorable time in her backyard surrounded by family than she can in exotic places without them. Something that most people do not know about April is that she was born in Hawaii.
As a child, April’s dream job was to be a fashion merchandiser, working as a buyer for Nordstrom. She now laughs over this dream, as she points out the clothes she’s wearing were purchased from Goodwill. If she could meet anyone from history, her top choice, out of a long list of women, would be Eleanor Roosevelt, because of how humble she was and that she gave more than she took. If April could be any cartoon character, she would be the Road Runner because he was always three steps ahead of Wile E. Coyote.
Thank you April for the mentorship, opportunities and constant care you have given Puget Sound Orthopaedics. We will miss you very much and we wish you the best of luck in your next endeavor.
