ER physician joins Cabinet Peaks Medical Center

It was kindergarten when Kathryn Cockerham wanted to become a nurse. She never quite knew why, but regardless of the reason, she’s still going strong on her childhood dream. 

For a long time, Cockerham, now an emergency department physician, put her dream into action in the sprawling mountains of Utah, where she’s lived most of her life.

Now, however, she’s followed the call of the nearby mountains of Montana by joining the Cabinet Peaks Medical Center in Libby as an emergency department physician. 

Cockerham grew up in West Valley City, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and only lived elsewhere during a stint in Michigan for her residency. She received her bachelor’s, master’s and M.D. from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. 

Now Cockerham has moved to Libby from Roosevelt, Utah, two small towns that are more alike than different. It is the small-town atmosphere in which Cockerham wants and feels safe to have her family. During her residency at Synergy Medical Education Alliance in Saginaw, Mich., Cockerham was disheartened by the violent traumas she witnessed. Disappearances and gunshots were concerning, upsetting, and showed a much different place than what she knew in Utah. 

But even though the time of trauma and emergencies she saw in Michigan differed from those is Utah, she’s seen similar patients everywhere she’s worked. People need help anywhere, she said, and she’s there to help no matter what the story is. No matter who comes through the doors, Cockerham is sharp and ready to accept the challenge.

“I’m not here to judge people,” Cockerham said. “I’m here to take care of them.”

Teri Beebe, who also works at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center, said Cockerham is a fresh addition to the Cabinet Peaks staff. 

“She’s a very, very nice person,” Beebe said. “She’s always willing to put as much effort as possible into what she’s doing. She really puts everything into her work.” 

When she’s wrapped up in one of the unimaginably urgent moments of an emergency department, she mentally returns to her training. In the downtime when she is seated, Cockerham is calm and poised. Her composure reflects the relief and safety that shine from the bright halls of the facility where people come to for help.

Her career is not free of emotion, though. Death is an inevitable part of working in a hospital, and Cockerham is aware of its presence. The saddest part of her job, she said, is seeing young children die.

“It’s sad because they aren’t supposed to,” she said. 

Cockerham accepts that, although she is there to support those who come into the building, life is unpredictable. She does everything she can, but sometimes that is not enough and patients can’t walk away. 

“You never know what’s going to walk through the door,” Dr. Cockerham said. “But you have to take care of whatever comes in.” 

Cockerham enjoys what she does and she hopes her patients can see that. She has seen many patients in different places, and she will see many more in Libby. 

People come through her doors and leave, likely to only see her in passing, and the one thing she hopes is that each patient feels cared for, even if it’s brief.