Sharonne N. Hayes, M.D.

How Mayo Clinic Touches Me

"I don't know that there was some seminal moment which made me decide, oh, I'm gonna be a doctor. I was good in math and science and back then if you were good in math and science they said, oh, you should be a doctor.

Patients and interacting, that's really what I love to do, that's what keeps me going to work every day.

I don't have a typical day in my practice. Every day is different. I might be on a hospital service where I'm rounding on patients. I might spend a day doing diagnostic ultrasound; I do cardiac echo ultrasound of the heart where I will read those. So, my day is as varied as any. I'm involved in a number of institutional initiatives trying to improve women's health in the community. One of the things that keeps me at Mayo is I will never be bored here.

Mayo has the culture that encompasses the whole patient — and taking care of them. These are the needs that we consider. And I think it is our fundamental core values that resonate and are part of the culture. It is our culture. The needs of the patient come first. And they are the only needs to be considered.

Patients tell me they feel cared for. They feel like a weight has been lifted. We realize that Mayo, this organization which impacts worldwide care, needs many resources to achieve what we need to do.

Philanthropy is critical to maintain our mission."