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Anesthesiologist Rodney "Heath" McCarver at his Little Rock home with wife Karen and sons Hudson, Grayson and Keegan.

Hospitals, it could be argued, are Rodney "Heath" McCarver's natural habitat. The Arkansas Heart Hospital anesthesiologist has been working in them continuously since before he earned his RN at age 18.

McCarver grew up in Texarkana, Arkansas, the youngest son of a nurse mother and Baptist minister father. He excelled academically and would have graduated from high school after his sophomore year at Arkansas High had state law then allowed it. McCarver explained that at the time, students who entered college early were not permitted to receive a high school diploma early and were required to continue taking English classes. So he attended college courses during the day, took his English classes and soon entered nursing school at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.

"Nursing is a wonderful career, and there is certainly nothing wrong with staying a nurse, but for me it was always a means to an end," McCarver said. "I knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I also knew I was going to need a way to put myself through school."

Besides his nursing degree, McCarver also earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) before being accepted into the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

Being an RN not only gave McCarver a solid foundation in healthcare that he found invaluable during his medical school classes, it also allowed him to work full-time during medical school and residency, earning a living while learning and honing his chosen profession. "I stayed busy, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds," McCarver insists, deflecting praise. "Nursing is pretty good about accommodating schedules with flexible hours. I worked at the Heart Hospital most of that time, all through medical school, and they were real good about letting me work weird hours."

He hadn't planned to become an anesthesiologist, but found it was a perfect fit for him. "I enjoy the hands-on aspect of anesthesia, all the clinical things you have to do for patients," he said. "I also like having that contact with family and with patients. I have the best job because it's all about making people immediately feel better. Usually when I see patients, they either feel better afterwards or go to sleep. Either way, they feel better."

Another reason the specialty was a good fit for McCarver is that it's not a flashy field. "It's not a superstar career. A good anesthesiologist is one you don't think about," he opines. "If you do your job well, people hardly know you did anything. That's what I shoot for. If you're in the background and people don't even realize what you're doing, then you're probably doing a pretty good job. Other healthcare providers, surgeons and partners understand what you're doing, so you get your feedback from them. There's very little that the patient or family notices, though, when you do your job well.

One thing he could not be happier about is his workplace. McCarver works for Arkansas Anesthesia, a practice that exclusively serves Arkansas Heart Hospital. "It's by far the best hospital I've worked at, and I've worked at maybe 15 different hospitals in my life," he says. "It's set up by the physicians, so it works well for our needs, but it also works really well for the patients. The patients aren't there unless they need to be in the hospital. There's really no lag time, no down time for them. It works well for them from a healthcare standpoint, and it also means they can return to their lives sooner because we get done what they need done quickly."

He said the hospital's efficiency was in his opinion one hallmark of its success. "Whenever there are changes that need to be made, there's very little bureaucracy or red tape we have to go through. Changes are made pretty much immediately, so you could say it's a little different atmosphere from most hospitals I've worked at."

The majority of the surgeries he works there are of course, cardio-thoracic, but he said he never gets tired of working with physicians who are leaders in their field.

"Some of the best surgeons that I've ever worked with work for Arkansas Heart Hospital," McCarver said. "Plus, my partners are great guys who have been with the hospital since it opened, so it's a really easy atmosphere to work in, a lot of respect and camaraderie."

Thirteen years ago, McCarver married Karen Potts, his high school sweetheart who he had met in church and started dating in the 10th grade. The couple now has three sons, ages 11, 7 and 4. McCarver spends quite a bit of time with his sons in his off-hours, running, swimming and going to school and church activities together.

He very much has a desire to serve others, and hopes to go on more medical mission trips (he's been to Guatemala and Honduras on two trips already), something he very much enjoys. McCarver also expresses a desire to someday become more involved in the politics of the medical industry. "It's something I've thought about, but I'm in no hurry. I have it pretty good right now," he says with a smile.

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