Patient Care Spotlight - Annie R.

Annie R. was 20 when she and a group of friends took off from Wisconsin to Clearwater Beach for some sun and fun. She never left. Now, more than four decades later, she is preparing to retire along with Dr. Andrew Maser, for whom she has served as a surgical assistant for 22 years.

“It’s kind of surreal,” she says.

After moving to Clearwater, Annie enjoyed the Florida lifestyle while working as a server in local restaurants; but something was missing. “I wanted to do more, to make a difference in people’s lives,” she says. “So I changed careers to healthcare.”

She enrolled in St. Petersburg Community College (now SPC) and earned an Associate of Science, followed by an x-ray technologist certification program. She chose Orthopedic Specialists to do her practical work because “it was the only place where I could train without prior experience.”

From its beginning, the practice has always been known for providing exceptional hands-on training opportunities to promising young healthcare workers.

Annie went from x-ray tech and scribe to earning an orthopedic technician certification. This allowed her to assist our doctors in surgery.  In 2001, she was assigned to work exclusively with a new doctor – Andrew Maser, DO – under whom she earned her orthopedic physician assistant certification, a five-year process.

"She's my right hand person," says Dr. Maser. "Her kindness and efficiency make it possible for me to spend most of my time doing patient care." 

Annie has been an integral part of many patients' lives over the years, as well as Dr. Maser's indispensable assistant.      

“I’m really going to miss the patients, my colleagues, and, of course, Dr. Maser,” whom she describes as “like a brother.”  The two are so close that he walked her down the aisle at her wedding and she stood up for him in his. “We’re a team,” she says.

Adds Dr. Maser, "We spend so much time together that sometimes I call her my wife's name. But truly, Annie is the most genuine and compassionate person I've ever known." 

What is Annie’s next chapter after retirement? Life has a way of coming full circle. She and Gary, one of the friends with whom she came to Clearwater all those years ago, eventually married and they are planning to hit the road again - this time in an RV. 

"It's going to be hard to say goodbye to my patients and colleagues," she says. "But it's time to see where the road takes us next."