Country Doctor’s Son Continues Tradition of Independent Care

Image

Some OB/GYNs deliver their first baby in a brightly lit, sterile operating room of a big city. Dr. Raleigh Unterseher delivered his to a proud mama cow in a barn in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. 

“We had horses and cows, and from the time I was very young I got to assist on some interesting deliveries —including a c-section of a cow. My job was to hold the bowels out of the way. It was a success — the vet saved the cow and the calf,” Dr. Unterseher recalls.

Growing up on a farm as the son of a country doctor was a unique experience. “My dad would take me with him when he did home calls. I was fascinated by his classic black doctor’s bag, the secrets of healing, and the magic inside.”

But it was not a straight line from there to the successful OB/GYN practice he runs today. “Early in college, I was a ski instructor, spent too much time in a Cessna 150 and Piper Cherokee Warrior trying to get enough hours for my pilot’s license, and played far too many intramural sports.”

But eventually, he buckled down, took his MCATs, and went to medical school. His experience made some of the material familiar. “But I was still a small town kid with a lot of formal studying to do to catch up to my peers.”

After graduation, it was hard to choose a specialty, so Dr. Unterseher let the matching process decide. He was matched with an OB/GYN program at Glendale Adventist Hospital, and so he and his new wife Ronda (they got married the night before he graduated college) loaded a truck and drove to Glendale, California. “I really enjoyed all the faculty and residents. When they asked me to stay on as faculty, I enthusiastically said ‘yes’ and remained there for 10 years.”

In 1999, he moved to Northern California to become the first specialist among a group of family practice doctors. But after two years, he decided to go solo. He admits it was a contrarian move, but 17 years later, Dr. Unterseher still knows he made the right decision.

Sure, he misses seeing the Dodgers and still treasures his 1988 World Series hat. But, “Chico is a lot like where I grew up. And with Chico State University here, there’s a great combination of big-town amenities and small-town charm.”

Dr. Unterseher joined CAP in 2008. “I’d had some painful experiences with another provider. But CAP has great values and strong capabilities. I joined CAP’s Northern California District Council in 2010, and later signed up for its disability and life insurance products too.”

When he is not at the office, Dr. Unterseher is passionate about water skiing. In Glendale, he led the OB/GYN Resident Water Ski Day every June. He was coached by world champion Marcus Brown. “I started water skiing when I was five at my family’s summer cabin in Priest Lake, Idaho, and have only missed a few summers since,” he says. His whole family water skis: his two daughters (one an occupational therapist, the other a dental hygienist), and his wife, who usually drives the boat.

He is also a trumpeter whose claim to fame includes winning the Pea Festival talent show. “My town, Milton-Freewater, used to be the pea capital of the world. We had an annual pea queen, a parade, and everything.” Today, he and some physician colleagues play in a brass quintet. The lack of a permanent band name is a running joke. “We have been the Brass Kissers, the High Deductibles, and the Melodious Maladies.”

But while he enjoys his hobbies, medicine remains his first passion. “The best part of private practice is the intimacy and boutique feeling. We come to work every day and push to provide the best possible care. The responsibility is high... but so is the satisfaction.”

That is an old-fashioned attitude and one that his country doctor father would surely have approved.