A strong believer in the Mission of OSF HealthCare, Andrew feels blessed to work for an organization that believes "all persons are made in God's image and deserve the best treatment possible."
A native of Metamora, he is excited to be practicing in his hometown. "It has always been a dream of mine to provide care to my neighbors and friends. I love the small town and tight-knit community. My children are playing soccer with children of people I played soccer and grew up with. There are not many places in town where someone won't hold the door and greet you with a smile."
Getting into medicine was a bit of an accident for Andrew.
"I took the EMT course because I wanted to volunteer for the local ambulance. Shortly afterward, I started working as a tech in the ER at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center and I was hooked."
After working a year as a paramedic he went to nursing school. "After working the bed side for a while, I felt a new challenge was needed, so nurse practitioner school was the next step," he said.
As a family nurse practitioner, Andrew enjoys the opportunity of treating newborns, kids, adults and geriatric patients – sometimes all in the same hour.
"I love family practice because I have an opportunity to get to know my patients. My previous ER and Life Flight jobs really did not allow for this opportunity," he said. "Now I follow patients for years, learn their story, guide them towards health and really, they become a part of my life."
It's his goal to actively engage each and every patient. "As a provider I could not effectively do my job without engaged patients. I often say to my patients 'how are WE going to approach this' when forming a plan," he said.
Andrew has two elementary-aged children. When not working, he enjoys golfing and duck hunting and volunteering for the Metamora Ambulance Service.
If you're a patient of Andrew J. Farraher, you can use OSF MyChart to schedule your appointment. If you don't have an OSF MyChart account, we can help you set up an account.
