Nurse Practitioner Tammy Lee Hufton: ‘I like learning about the body and how it works’
Nurse Practitioner Tammy Lee Hufton knows sometimes the best medicine comes from your surroundings.
“It’s good for my soul,” Hufton says of nature. “I like peace and solitude. Being in the back country is a great way to heal your soul.”
A career opportunity and a chance to continue living in the Tahoe region lured the former Army medic and U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps member to Western Sierra Medical Clinic and its Kings Beach office in May 2022.
But the primary reason was snowboarding.
“The moment I stuck a board on my feet … it was amazing,” Hufton says of the experience while stationed in Japan.
A couple of far-from-snow assignments paused the passion. So, when Hufton left the Air Force in 2018, she moved to California – and discovered Truckee.
After a few positions in the region, Hufton was looking for a new opportunity and found Western Sierra.
As the only primary-care provider at the Kings Beach clinic, she combines a family practice – from annual checkups to dealing with chronic conditions – with urgent care services for minor injuries and illnesses.
“The community is great, I like it a lot,” says Hufton, who also enjoys hiking and mountain biking.
Hufton has been busy educating the community that the Kings Beach clinic offers numerous services, especially urgent care.
“We’re trying to create more awareness,” says Hufton, who appreciates the variety of patients and their needs. “I like the community and the clinic aspect of it.”
Hufton was born and raised in southeastern Virginia, and enlisted in the military in 2003.
“I wanted to go to school, and it seemed like a viable option,” says Hufton, who was trained as a medic in the Army. “I became a medic, and I liked it.”
She was committed to improving her medical skills throughout her military career. She earned a bachelor’s of science in Nursing from Auburn University in Alabama, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.
“I like learning about the body and how it works,” she says. “And how to fix it quickly.”
It’s a much-appreciated skill when the closest hospital is at least 30 minutes away – and longer with road closures from winter storms. Or much longer in a military zone overseas or treating patients after a natural disaster.
Her ability to care for patients effectively and quickly also helps when she volunteers for Team Rubicon. The nonprofit organization combines the experience and skills of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy response teams to natural disasters throughout the world.
“It’s a great organization,” she says. “I like the humanitarian side of it, and I want to give back. I’ve traveled all over the world with Team Rubicon.”
But the best place remains on her snowboard, often with her teenage son and daughter.
“They have adjusted” to living in the Truckee region, she says. “They just roll with it … and they like snowboarding, too.”
The clinic is open Monday through Thursday. “An extra snowboarding day,” Hufton says of Fridays.