Inside the world of internal medicine with Dr. Ionescu of Rockwood Clinic

Just before 3pm, Raluca Ionescu, MD, sits down in her office to eat a quick snack. She has four more patients to see, a stack of paperwork to review and patient messages to answer.

It’s a relatively quiet day at MultiCare Rockwood Clinic – Moran Prairie. Aside from occasional conversations between medical assistants (MAs) at their stations and distant ringing from phones at reception, Dr. Ionescu’s office is peaceful.

She eats an apple while preparing for her next patient, reviewing their chart, checking their most recent test results and going over what they’re here to talk about.

As an internal medicine provider, Dr. Ionescu has a full load of patients ranging in age from early 20s to late 90s. Each presents a new challenge — but that’s what she likes about her job.

A fine-tuned machine 

In the course of an afternoon, Dr. Ionescu saw patients for everything from diabetes checkups, mysterious symptoms, emergency department follow-ups and sleep apnea test results.

Filling her inbox were questions about medications, follow-ups from past appointments and inquiries about new treatments.

Dr. Ionescu learned to apply a continuous blood sugar monitor to a patient and sent numerous prescriptions to the pharmacy.

Many of her patients also received flu shots from the MA before Dr. Ionescu even said hello.

”I don’t know what we would do without MAs. Ours are so impressive and professional. They really know what they’re doing.”

It seems busy, but between the doctor and MAs, they have it down to a science. MAs take patients to exam rooms, check their vitals, chart initial notes and administer things like flu shots. They spend time between appointments calling patients, helping fill orders and checking on anything else the provider needs.

“I don’t know what we would do without MAs,” Dr. Ionescu says after one tells her the next patient is ready. “Ours are so impressive and professional. They really know what they’re doing.”

She’s booked out for months with a full caseload of follow-ups and wellness exams, but Dr. Ionescu keeps a few slots open each day that can be booked within a one-week window for urgent cases and emergency follow-ups.

In addition to her patients, the internal medicine team at Moran Prairie fills in the gaps for each other, ensuring patients can be seen when they need it. They’re a strong team that keeps things moving smoothly.

After throwing away her apple core, Dr. Ionescu sanitizes her hands and quickly walks down the hall to her next patient.

Patients are part of the team

In the exam room, Dr. Ionescu greets her patients with a warm smile. She sits at the desk next to them and jumps into the appointment, asking lots of questions, reviewing their results and notes, and in some cases digging through older charts to help diagnose.

She walks patients through their results or possible explanations for what they’re experiencing. Sometimes she refers them to a specialist — such as home health aides, gastrointestinal providers or diabetes care specialists.

While her goal is to guide patients to the best options, Dr. Ionescu always keeps in mind that ultimately, it’s up to the patient to decide.

“It’s a team effort,” she says. “I won’t blame or shame anyone for what they do. I just want to help them at their comfort level.”

Sometimes that means debunking myths or misinformation they’ve read online, and other times it’s accepting that everyone has a different opinion on what’s best. Most people follow the clinic’s recommendations and appreciate their expertise, Dr. Ionescu says, but not everyone will agree.

“I have to respect those choices and we move forward together,” she says.

Programmed for positivity

The key for Dr. Ionescu is coming in with positivity.

“I’m programmed to be a happy and positive person,” she says. “I’ve learned so much about how to work with patients, directly from them … I just feel fortunate to be with them for these things.”

Dr. Ionescu, who grew up in Romania, explains that as a student she excelled in math and physics. But in her country at that time, schooling options were limited — she could work in a factory or go to school to become a teacher, doctor, lawyer or architect.

“I liked people, so I ended up on this route,” she says.

Dr. Ionescu moved to the United States in 1995 with her husband, fellow MultiCare Rockwood internal medicine provider Serban Ionescu, MD.

They established their careers in Brooklyn, added three daughters to the family and later moved to Montana before making their way to Spokane.

Dr. Ionescu was drawn to internal medicine not only because of the variety it brings but also the complexity of cases. Primary care tends to be the first level of care, she explains, whereas internal medicine requires a higher level of specialty for complex adult cases, such as progressed conditions or multiple diagnoses.

As she ends her day, Dr. Ionescu places a quick follow-up call to a patient, schedules their appointment and glances through her inboxes. Her day likely won’t end when she goes home — she has unanswered messages and more notes to chart.

For now, she’s headed home to relax and walk her dog before the sun sets.