CVH Spotlight: Leslie McGraw, Nurse Practitioner, Navy Veteran & Local Legend

Meet Leslie McGraw, Family Nurse Practitioner at Carson Valley Health Senior Care and Primary Care Virginia Ranch. You may have met her in-person already - she has been providing exemplary care with us since 2016.

A true local, Leslie is a graduate of Douglas High School after which she attended UNR for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. From UNR, Leslie served for six years on active duty in the US Navy, mostly working in the large hospital at Naval Station San Diego, but with stints in other areas. This was followed by another six years in the reserves. “I did a lot of work at Bethesda (The National Naval Medical Center in Maryland) and then did travel nursing in emergency rooms, mainly large trauma centers throughout the country for a couple of years,” Leslie says.

It was during her time as a travel nurse that Leslie met her husband. There was often a need around Christmas time for travel nurses to cover for vacations. “I said, oh yeah, in between other jobs, I'll come and work for a month or two,” says Leslie. So that's where I met him - taking a patient to CAT scan.” (Leslie’s husband Lenn McGraw is currently a Technician in the CVH Radiology Department).

Leslie exited the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of San Diego, training to become a nurse practitioner. Shortly after, she returned to Northern Nevada and spent 15 years at South Lyon Medical Center before moving to Carson Valley Health.

What does Leslie consider to be the best thing about working for Carson Valley Health? “It’s the employee team,” she says. “I think we all work together pretty well, and everybody really has the patient's best interests in mind.” Leslie works with Jennifer French, Medical Assistant, but says all the MAs are wonderful. “They've all been cross-trained, and they all know what each of the providers likes,” she says.

Leslie’s family medicine patients range in age from infants to seniors. She loves the work that she does, and best of all, the people she meets. “I like the connection with patients,” says Leslie. “Some I've known for years and years and I know what's going on in their lives, the struggles they have, what their kids are doing…”

Patients should know that when they come into Carson Valley Health, it’s not just “a day at work” for the team. “We care that we do things right. We make sure patients know what's going on and that they're not lingering out there waiting, not knowing what's going on,” Leslie says.

In addition to her role in patient care, you’ll also find Leslie speaking at the monthly Diabetes Education and Support events at the Douglas County Community and Senior Center, alongside CVH Dietician, Sarah Mongomery. The support group is held the first Thursday of every month, from 1PM-2PM. Leslie covers medical aspects while Sarah covers nutritional interventions for prediabetes and diabetes. (Find the Diabetes Education and Support schedule here).

Outside of work, Leslie is married to Lenn and has two adult sons, Ian and Casey. They enjoy traveling, camping, and hiking with their dog Roxy. Leslie recommends Desert Creek in Smith Valley as a local favorite spot. Her bucket list mainly consists of more travel; “I’d like to go to Australia,” she says.