Dr. Amanda Lovette is relatively new to Colorado, but fully at home with pediatrics. She, her husband Trent, and two dogs moved from Texas to Delta in February 2021 during what Texans call “Snow-mageddon.” The drive took 25 hours because of snow and “was an adventure!” But they love it here. “It’s a beautiful place and the people are amazing. We’ve gotten to explore the Mesa and have not been bored,” shared Lovette
As a girl, Amanda dreamed of being a fighter pilot or astronaut. While living with her family in Norway, where her father worked for Philips Petroleum, she took a vacation to Menorca, Spain and enjoyed touring the U.S.S. Nimitz, which was docked there. When the flight commander asked Amanda what she wanted to be when she grew up, she shared her big dreams. She remembers his response—“He told me I’d never be a pilot because I wore glasses and was a woman. He went on to explain that 6,000 men worked on the aircraft carrier, and not one woman.” Although she left the Nimitz deflated, something inside her came back fighting. Amanda remembers deciding she would never again let anyone tell her she couldn’t do or be something she dreamed of, and she went on to dream of being a physician.
During her third year of residency while working in pediatric hematology/oncology, she fell in love with pediatrics. One particularly physically and mentally exhausting day, after a recent surge of cancer diagnoses and overnight work, a little girl with a prosthetic leg came running out of her room, still hooked to IV’s, exuberantly asking Amanda to dance with her. Amanda recalls thinking, This is it! This is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. Amanda blossomed through the remainder of rotations and at the end, her attendee told her, “If I had children or grandchildren needing a pediatrician, I would send them to you.”
This affirmation launched Dr. Lovette into a long, satisfying career. “That’s when I decided pediatrics was going to be my way, and I’ve never looked back…there’s just nothing more innocent, open and full of life than kids! I wish we’d take more note of their resiliency sometimes.”
It didn’t take Dr. Lovette much time in her profession to launch her own private practice in Decatur, Texas where she worked as a pediatrician for approximately 17 years. However, the Lovettes always wanted to live near mountains, so after their two sons left home, they decided it was time to make a move. Dr. Lovette now practices pediatrics in Delta’s hospital-based clinic as their only full board-certified pediatrician. The building on 3rd and Stafford is on hospital grounds and accommodates orthopedics, physical therapy and cardiology, as well as a space just for pediatrics, including a lively fish tank kids can’t get enough of.
Dr. Lovette describes some of the innate, intuitive skills that define an exceptional provider.
“We’re always told that it’s 90 percent patient history and 10 percent physical exam,” Lovette discloses. “But I feel like in pediatrics, it’s 50/50 with more weight on the physical exam, because younger children can’t tell you how they feel. Your clinical exam skills have got to be top-notch. You’ve got to watch facial expressions, flinches, and pay attention if a cry gets louder when you touch a certain area. You must be so attuned to the patient. I think that’s one of those soft skills pediatricians know.” She points out that kids can quickly sense if a provider is uncomfortable or lacking in compassion. “So, you show them the otoscope, let them touch the otoscope, and allow them get comfortable with the situation.”
When she thinks back on paths her life could have taken Dr. Lovette is not disappointed. “You can be enmeshed and engaged in the life you have and never have regrets! If you live with regrets, you can’t be fully happy.” When asked about her childhood dreams, she comments, “I think maybe I was born just a little too early for the thought that women could be fighter pilots or astronauts… I would still jump at the chance to go up in a fighter jet or space shuttle but…I realize our lives are going to flow in a certain manner. I don’t regret the decisions I’ve made or the opportunities I’ve had. They were the right ones for me. And maybe in another life I’ll come back as a fighter pilot!” For now, Dr. Lovette will continue in the career she loves, “I think I’ll be working for at least another ten years; I can’t even process the idea of not working daily with children.”
When she isn’t working, Dr. Lovette commits to learning something new each year. She has trained under a world renown photographer and traveled to Easter Island, Patagonia and the National Parks of Utah, taking pictures and posting on her photography website. This year her goal is to perfect her Spanish. Someday Amanda and Trent would love to become dual residents of Costa Rica, a destination they visit often, and Amanda hopes to be fluent in the native language.
Dr. Amanda Lovette is accepting new patients. Visit Delta Health Pediatrics’ website at deltahealthco.org/delta-health-pediatrics or (970) 546-4000 to inquire or make an appointment.