PARKE CO., Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Dr. John Swaim is on his 60th year of continued service to the people of the Wabash Valley and has made a lasting impact on the community.
When asked what Dr. Swaim enjoyed most about his 60-year-long career, he explained that it was the people.
“I’ve tried to make people happy and take care of them as best I can. Just taking care of people. I’m sentimentally attached to the building, and the place, and the patients. I can’t seem to get away from it and I’ve put my whole life into the building, in the practice, and I just want to keep going as long as I can. The employees need jobs and it makes me feel needed and wanted, so I just keep trying to go on,” Swaim said.
An Indiana native, Swaim has roots in the rural and farming communities of Indiana and currently works at Parke Clinic in Rockville. After graduating from Indiana State in 1959 with a degree in biology and mathematical chemistry, Swaim went on to apply to medical school at Indiana University and later graduated in 1963.
After 60 years of practicing medicine, Swaim noted a lot of changes in the world of health care and the world in general.
“Practicing in small towns, there are a lot of doctors that disappear. The population base isn’t here that there once was. I think it’s changed. It’s a changing world. We general practitioners and family doctors used to do a lot of different things, delivered babies, took care of fractures, did minor surgery,” Swaim said. “With the age of specialization, a lot of specialists have taken over. General practitioners are being replaced by nurse practitioners and the government is taking over the provisioning of primary care. It’s a changing world.”
Swaim has had many notable accomplishments in his lifetime, including serving in the United States Air Force for four years, working as a field medic in Vietnam during that time, writing a book, winning multiple awards, and continuing to bring peace of mind to residents of Parke County and beyond through his healthcare.
