Jose Renteria is not only bringing his medical skills and experience to St. Rose Health Center, he also speaks Spanish fluently.

            Renteria, the new St. Rose bilingual advanced practice registered nurse, graduated from the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Wichita State University.

            “In this acute care program, my clinical rotations included more than 800 hours of study in a wide range of specialties,” Renteria said. “Some examples are pulmonology, internal medicine, general surgery and emergency care.

            “I wanted to enhance my education so that I would be able to do more for my patients,” he added.

            His fluency in Spanish adds another layer to his ability to offer care and treatment to some patients, he noted.

            “Communication is the key to what we do,” Renteria commented. “Our diagnoses are based in large part on physical exams and medical histories. And communicating clearly with a patient is fundamental as we gather this information.”

            When Renteria recently visited with the USD 428 Migrant Parenting Advisory Council, his main goal was to discuss the wide range of St. Rose services.

            “I wanted to give the audience information about the many opportunities here at St. Rose,” Renteria said. “This is a great organization in many respects – from personnel to services to state-of-the-art equipment. Everything is top-of-the-line. The leadership team knows what it is doing.”

            Renteria was born in California and grew up in Durango, Mexico. He moved back to the United States after high school and has lived in Great Bend about 14 years. He is married to Alma Renteria.

            After earning an associate’s of science degree in nursing at Barton Community College, he graduated from Fort Hays State University with a bachelor’s in nursing in 2011. Graduation from WSU’s acute care program came three years later.

            The number to call for an appointment with Renteria is 620-792-3345.

            St. Rose specializes in primary care, prevention and wellness. Services include St. Rose Family Medicine, Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic, Great Bend Internists, imaging, Cardiac Rehab, Special Nursing Services, one-day surgical procedures, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice and a comprehensive Specialty Clinic. St. Rose is co-owned by Hays Medical Center and Centura Health.