Dr. Durbin's compassionate care makes a meaningful difference
- kalinmckean
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
For Dr. Paul Durbin, every day of work as an internist for Ascension Medical Group in Racine is an opportunity to serve and help others.
Over the past 28 years, Dr. Durbin’s genuine care and compassion have guided his practice, where he treats each patient like family. Everything he does as a physician is rooted in his Christian faith, and his dedication to serving others:
“My Christian faith is really important to me,” Dr. Durbin shared. “As a Christian, Christ taught us the importance of helping and serving others. And that is one reason I connect to the Mission of Ascension and enjoy working here.”
To many, Dr. Durbin is more than a physician — he is a Guardian Angel, providing unwavering support and compassionate care when it’s needed most.
Guardian Angel — a program of Ascension Wisconsin Foundation — invites patients to recognize any associate that made a lasting impact in their care.
To date, Dr. Durbin has received nine Guardian Angel recognitions, each a testament to the incredible impact he has in his community.
His patients value his attentiveness and compassion, and many have expressed gratitude for all the ways he has positively impacted their lives.
One grateful patient described his impact, sharing
“My Mom recently passed away and I made an appointment to see Dr. Durbin. I am terribly struggling with her passing and he recognized my sadness … Dr. Durbin prayed with me that day for comfort and healing. I felt super uplifted by his compassion and prayer and knowing that I have one of the best doctors that there is. He is a true asset to Ascension.”
Another patient shared,
“Dr. Durbin doesn’t just practice medicine; he practices deep empathy and excellence. To have a doctor save your life once is a blessing — to have him do it twice is a testament to an extraordinary healer.”
Dr. Durbin has dedicated his career to serving others, though becoming a physician was not always the path he envisioned for himself.
Finding his calling in internal medicine
From a very young age, Dr. Durbin was fascinated by the human body. At four years old, he would flip through the pages of his family’s encyclopedia with joy and wonder, studying the interactive diagrams of skin, muscles and bones, and how they worked together as one.
Dr. Durbin’s love for science and passion for learning carried on through elementary school, high school and well into college, where he planned to pursue a career as a biology teacher. However, by his second year of college, the trajectory of his career changed when he decided to go to medical school.
When Dr. Durbin began clinical rotations, he enjoyed aspects of each practice, but internal medicine felt most like his calling:
“It was very clear when I did my internal medicine rotation that it was where I belonged,” Dr. Durbin shared. “I really enjoyed taking care of adults and trying to diagnose their symptoms and treat their conditions. Internal medicine entails everything that can happen to an adult. You have to use all the data — history, physicals, labs, imaging — to get to a diagnosis and create a treatment plan. It’s like putting all the pieces of a puzzle together, and I really enjoy that challenge.”
The impact of compassionate care
Today, Dr. Durbin continues to live out his life’s calling as an internist, where compassion and kindness play a pivotal role in empowering his patients:
“The patient doctor relationship is so important. I want to empower patients to take control of their health. To show up with kindness, empathy and compassion enhances trust in the relationship. If they trust me, they are more likely to follow my recommendations, and take care of their health.”
One of Dr. Durbin’s favorite parts of being an internist is how closely he gets to work with other Ascension Wisconsin physicians to ensure patients receive the timely, personalized care they deserve.
“Sometimes I have to pass the ball to someone else and I really like that care coordination piece of being an internist,” Dr. Durbin shared. “We have a great network of doctors here at Ascension and I am often messaging them. Working together enhances care for patients and I really enjoy it.”
What motivates Dr. Durbin to come to work each day is his patients, and the joy they bring to his profession:
“Being a physician is one of the most incredible professions where people put their lives in your hands, so I want to do the absolute best that I can.”
Thank you, Dr. Durbin, for your unwavering commitment to compassionate care and the meaningful difference you make in our community.
About Guardian Angel
Guardian Angel, a program of Ascension Wisconsin Foundation, invites patients and their loved ones to recognize any associate that made a lasting impact in their care. Visit giveMissionPossible.org/guardian-angel to learn more.
