New help for the hurting at DeKalb Physicians Clinic

By Heather Russell Wilson
Staff Reporter

There’s a new nurse practitioner in town.  DeKalb Physicians Clinic recently added to their team by hiring Andrew Lourens, FNPC.
Lourens was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he lived until age 14, when he and his family moved to Durban.  After high school, he worked for eleven years as a K-9 officer.  In 1998, Lourens got the opportunity to immigrate to the United States, so he took that opportunity and moved first to Shreveport, Louisiana before relocating to Texarkana.  In 2003, Lourens decided to pursue a career in the medical field, and returned to school at Texarkana College.  He became an LVN, then an RN, and graduated from the nurse practitioner program in 2017.  During this time, he also became a U.S. citizen.
Since entering the medical field, Lourens has worked in cardiology, neurology, pediatrics, and in the operating room at Christus St. Michael’s.  He first came to DeKalb Physician’s Clinic as a fill-in nurse practitioner for friend and colleague Skip Hadaway.  After a few weeks part-time, he was asked to take a full-time position - something that, according to Lourens, was a no-brainer.  “I love this rural community, I really do,” Laurens says earnestly.  “People over here are so genuine, they just are.  That’s what I like about it.  It’s never a guessing game.  People are so kind - they’re forever bringing tomatoes and watermelons….everyone is just so friendly.”

And it’s not just DeKalb that Lourens has been impressed by.  He says immigrating to the United States is something he has never regretted.  “Since I have been in the U.S., I have had the opportunity to go to Australia, New Zealand, England, and other European areas - some of the places that I had contemplated moving to originally - and I really am glad I made the decision to come to the U.S.,” he says.  “This country is such an amazing country.  Sometimes people just need to take a step back and realize it, because it is beautiful, in so many ways.”
Lourens and his wife Jennifer have six children, and are active members of Church on the Rock, Texarkana, where Andrew is the church sound technician.