Rick is originally from the Midwest: he grew up in Orion, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago for both his undergraduate and his Family Nurse Practitioner degree. Rick began his career in healthcare working as a registered nurse in Haiti, but eventually went back to school so he could do more. In addition to his work in Haiti, Rick has also worked in Illinois and Texas, but has called Oregon home for more than two decades. Rick enjoys fishing and hiking, and plays a variety of instruments, including the guitar, mandolin, harmonica and banjo.