Carla McCall, MSN, FNP-C, RN

 A brief autobiography: I was born and raised in Chicago, IL. The image above is of my parents. They immigrated from Argentina about ten years before I was born.

My father was a psychiatrist. When I was a child, he would occasionally take me to Wesley Memorial Hospital, where he worked. I was very intrigued by what I saw in the hospital. My journey into health care was sparked by those memories and his lessons about the body's functions. I wanted to know more. 

After high school, I didn't go directly to nursing school. Instead, 

 I went directly to work to make money. I began working in kitchens and eventually got a degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. This is where I met my husband/soul mate (we've been together for 30+ years). We cooked in Boston and Cape Cod, then moved to Colorado in 1995. I continued working as a pastry chef and baker for several more years. My husband and I even owned and operated a very successful Bakery in the small town of Mancos, CO.

But, at that point in my life, I knew I needed to pursue the career that I believed I was always meant to do. It was time for me to go back to school and get a nursing degree. 

In 2008, I started taking classes and became a Registered Nurse (RN) in 2013.

 I spent most of my time as an RN working in the hospital. I'm forever grateful for those years of learning. I worked on the Medical/Surgical floor, where we treated many different diseases, conditions, infections, and surgical patients. It was both scary and exciting. Even though I worked with brilliant doctors and nurses, I often thought: There has to be a better way to help people stay healthy in the first place 

 Some people who knew me asked why I was working in conventional medicine. My own health practices had always focused on nutrition, healthy habits, and natural remedies. The truth is, I wanted to understand the medical system that most people use. I wanted to know why, even with all our modern medicines and treatments, people seemed to be getting sicker instead of healthier and stronger. 

 After more than seven years in the hospital, I wanted more freedom as a healthcare provider. I wanted to help people prevent diseases before they ever happened. So I went back to school again and earned my Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree.  

I became licensed as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in 2022.

 During my first year as an FNP, I wanted to learn more about natural approaches to health care, so I worked alongside an amazing Naturopathic Doctor in a small clinic. She taught me a great deal about functional medicine testing, herbal remedies, and the appropriate use of supplements. I also studied at the Functional Medicine Institute and became certified using Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice.

 After learning many different approaches to health from conventional medicine to naturopathic and functional medicine, I started my own practice and created Intrinsic Health. 

 In my practice, I work directly for you. There's no insurance company deciding what tests or treatments you can have. It's just you and me, talking thoroughly about your health concerns and treating each one like an important piece of a puzzle worth solving.