Jackson Free Press

Often, TV portrays doctors as self-centered and arrogant. Shows like "House" and "Grey’s Anatomy" have made folks forget about doctors who live to serve and who care greatly about their patients. Attending physician Jonathan S. Jones is the kind of doctor that helps people remember.

A native of Orlando Fla., Jones and his wife have lived in Jackson for almost nine years. He moved here for his residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “I chose this city and this program for ... a change of pace from Florida,” Jones said. “Jackson was smaller, lower key.” Part of this laid back quality is because of Jacksonians, he said. "People seem more honest, more genuine (in Jackson).”

As the attending emergency physician at UMMC, Jones’ expertise comes from the variety of patients that come to an emergency room. He and his team of doctors deal with everything from gunshot wounds and car wrecks to people who are having heart attacks and folks who have the flu. Jones is trained to handle it all.

“Any day, you don’t know what you’re going to see when you go to work, which keeps it lively,” he said.

Jones, 34, is a true caregiver, someone who takes joy in his work. “I like working somewhere you feel like you can do something," he said. "I don’t want to work somewhere where everyone is healthy and just comes in for checkups.”

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine’s Young Physicians Section, started in 1967, recently honored Jones by electing him to its board of directors. The organization’s goal is to provide specialized training in emergency medicine, and its members vote for the board, making it clear that Jones has the respect of his fellow doctors.

The group stresses the importance of providing emergency care to all in its mission statement, a quality that Jones shares.

“(Emergency doctors) don’t care who you are, (or whether) you have money or if you have insurance," Jones said. "Are you someone famous (or) are you homeless? It really doesn’t matter. We see everyone.”