Doctor Finds Welcoming Community, Rewarding Career in Lincoln

“I would not pick another place to work,” said Dr. Julianna Peters, referring to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she has started a career in physical therapy.

As a young healthcare professional with sought-after skills, Dr. Peters could have chosen to work almost anywhere. She preferred to be somewhere familiar.  That meant choosing either Colorado, Kansas, or Nebraska. She had lived in Denver, Colorado until age 13 and then moved to Topeka, Kansas where she graduated high school. She then attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), before returning to Kansas for her doctoral program at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

“I really debated where to apply for my physical therapy license,” Dr. Peters recalled. “I knew I was either going to Kansas or Nebraska. At one point, I had considered Colorado, but I wrote it off because Colorado is so expensive, and I had a lot of student loans.”

Ultimately, she selected Nebraska. A strong sense of community, based on relationships she had built during college, was the biggest factor that drew her back to Lincoln.

Feeling at home in Nebraska

“What made me choose Nebraska was that, even though my parents live in Kansas, I didn’t feel like I had a social circle that I could lean on. I knew that if I came back to Nebraska, I would have friends and a social network. I wouldn’t be alone as I finally started to enter the workforce and figure out where I fit. My connections, the people that I knew, were the driving force.”

The ease of making connections is what had initially attracted Dr. Peters to Nebraska for college. “The first time I came to Nebraska, and toured the UNL campus, I felt a connection with the people I met. They wanted me to feel welcome, seen, and like an individual. That [sense of connection] continued. I found a group of friends and a community that really welcomed me. They made sure I always felt like I had a home, even when I wasn’t from in-state.”

Benefiting from affordability

Nebraska’s overall affordability has been a bonus for Dr. Peters as she has started her career. “The cost of living being lower in Nebraska is a really nice thing for anyone, but especially as you’re just beginning in the workforce.”

One example is that Nebraska waives the initial licensing fee for medical practitioners under the age of 26. Veterans, active-duty military members, and military spouses are also eligible for the waiver.  “I just eked in under the bar, getting my first license at 25,” Dr. Peters said. “Free, first-time licensure is a great benefit when you’re coming out of school and have loans. Since, even when you have a job lined up, you’re not yet being paid for it.”

Finding value in connections

Having established herself in Lincoln, Dr. Peters is taking advantage of opportunities to experience Nebraska’s capital city and its surroundings. “People may have the misconception that there’s not a lot going on here, but there’s a lot to do in just a short drive.” She has enjoyed exploring things that she wasn’t able to see during her first stint in the state, as a student on a college budget. “There’s a lot to do in the Lincoln area itself, and Omaha is close, just an hour away.”

Yet what Dr. Peters treasures most about Nebraska is the community she has found in Lincoln. This includes being part of a vibrant local church and being able to reconnect in deeper ways with friends from her days at UNL. “Being more intentional about finding a community that fits my needs and my personality—that I could really find a home in—has been a big thing for me,” she said.

The depth of community in Nebraska has led her to reject the term “flyover country” as a label for Midwestern states. “I feel like there’s so much of Nebraska that really these days is almost like the best-kept secret. You find and meet people who are so kind, down-to-earth, and willing to help. That’s something I’ve admired about Nebraska.”

Interested in learning more about living and working in Nebraska? Connect with the Good Life Is Calling team here.