Rhonda (Brown) Sowards was an Academic All-American as a catcher in 2000, one year after earning all-CCIW honors in 1999. She is currently an assistant medical director and emergency room physician at Unity Point Hospital in Moline, Illinois.
Former Vikings athlete now leads an ER team
—By Dave Wrath ’80, associate director of athletics/media and alumni relations
Even through the sterile nature that is a phone call, the pain in Rhonda (Brown) Sowards’ voice was obvious. Sowards, who is the assistant medical director and emergency room physician at Unity Point Hospital in Moline, Illinois, was asked about her role in treating patients in stress-filled days of the worldwide pandemic known as the Coronavirus.
“They can’t even see us smile,” was her response when asked what was the toughest thing about being an emergency room doctor in these turbulent times. “When we get all suited up and we have our masks on and all our equipment the patients can't see the reassurance that we want to give them.”
Sowards, who has an engaging personality and a smile that absolutely lights up a room, is obviously frustrated with not being able to outwardly show her care and compassion to the patients she sees on a daily basis.
“This makes medicine much more impersonal,” said the former standout catcher on the Augustana softball team. “It takes a little bit of the humanity out of it.”
She knows she is on the front lines of this pandemic, but, just like she never backed away from a fastball in the batter’s box, she does not flinch.
Sowards, who was a CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-American as a senior in 2000, credits some of the lessons she learned as an athlete with her ability to complete her job to its fullest in these most uncertain times.
“I learned a lot as an athlete and it mimics what is happening right now,” said Sowards, who was a rural Quad City product out of Rockridge High School in Taylor Ridge, Illinois.
“We all show up every day and it is our job to take care of people. This has metamorphosed into a different kind of team. Sometimes at a workout the coach would say ‘Run a mile’ and we would say ‘Really Coach.’ It was an obstacle we had to overcome. This is a similar situation in that life’s lessons pop up and we have to deal with them.”
Sowards, who graduated from Augustana with a degree in biology and had a minor in Swedish, went to medical school at University of Illinois-Chicago’s campus in Peoria, Illinois. She is the mother of four who range between six and 11 years of age. Her husband Chad is soon to be retired after a career as a Rock Island police officer.
She knows she is in on the front lines of this pandemic, but, just like she never backed away from a fastball in the batter’s box, she does not flinch.
“This is quite the journey, isn’t it,” she says when asked about the hazards involved with being in an emergency room while the battle to control the spread of the Coronavirus heats up. “Everyone is showing up. That sounds simple but this is why we went to medical school. We didn’t sign up to just do the easy tasks. Our job is to take care of people and that is what we are doing.”
She acknowledges that there has been a learning curve each and every day. “At first we had the same questions that were scaring everyone,” she said. “It certainly was not like anything we had ever seen. We are changing the way we do things because of this and we are questioning the way we look at things. That is good, because we can improve every day.”
An all-conference catcher as a junior in 1999 when she hit .385 with 25 hits in 65 at-bats with two doubles, nine runs-batted-in and 16 runs scored, Sowards was a senior when current head Viking softball coach Kris Kistler took over prior to the 1999-00 school year. The Vikings were coming off three straight losing seasons during her first three years before Kistler assumed command.
“It was fun and rewarding getting the softball program back on winning footing,” she said about her senior year, which saw Augustana record a 30-15 overall record. That was a school record at the time for most victories in a single season and it set the tone for a run that saw the Vikings rip off 11 straight winning seasons, including six in which they eclipsed the 30-victory plateau.
“I enjoyed the game of softball and I certainly loved playing at Augustana. People don’t realize the kind of bonds and friendship that can be made when you are part of a team and you are pulling together for a common cause.”
Some of those life’s lessons are being put to good use right now.
“Just like you aren’t going to win every game in softball, you also are not going to get every diagnosis right in medicine,” she said. “But the key is to keep pulling together and to listen to each other and to allow each person to contribute the best way possible. That is what we are doing right now.”
While the Coronavirus has brought athletic events at Augustana to a standstill, check the athletics department site for stories about people, events and circumstances that helped give the Vikings the identity we enjoy today.