Christopher H. Aichele, ARNP

After Christopher "Chris" Aichele graduated from Evergreen High School, he attended Clark Community College and received his Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN). From there, he went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Washington State University, Vancouver.

Chris launched his career as an RN at Southwest Washington Medical Center (SWMC) in 2002. He spent two years in their medical-telemetry unit as a charge nurse. After that, Chris worked for several years in their ICU, where he acted as an acute charge team nurse and served as the ICU representative on the hospital ethics committee. Chris' knowledge acquired in the ICU helped him take on a mentoring role for less-experienced nurses. For example, floor nurses frequently consulted Chris when they needed a second opinion regarding a patient’s treatment, and Chris was responsible for training nurses that were either new to SWMC or new to critical care.

After working as an RN for a few years, Chris realized he wanted more detailed training and went back to Washington State University's Family Nurse Practitioner program to get his Masters in Nursing. Chris' training took him to a number of clinics and hospitals between Portland and Longview. Lucky for Kirkpatrick Family Care, Chris especially enjoyed working in Longview. Since Chris finished school, he has been working as a nurse practitioner part-time in Longview. His first day at our clinic was on 11/17/08. We are very lucky to have him on our team.

Chris currently lives in La Center, Washington, and has been married for six years to his high school sweetheart. They have a 4-year-old child and a cat that has been around forever named Toby. (If they ever move, the new homeowners will be getting Toby along with the house.) In his spare time, Chris enjoys reading, spending time with his family, and exploring the outdoors whenever the Pacific Northwest weather allows.