For Dr. Caleb Schroeder, rural medicine isn’t simply where he practices—it’s who he is.
Born on a farm between Blue Hill and Lawrence, Nebraska, Dr. Schroeder has spent his life rooted in rural communities. Today, as an independent general surgeon serving patients throughout south-central Nebraska, he remains deeply committed to ensuring that high-quality surgical care remains available close to home.
Whether he’s performing surgery in Hastings, traveling to provide care in surrounding rural communities, or mentoring the next generation of healthcare providers, Dr. Schroeder believes every Nebraskan deserves access to exceptional surgical care close to home. That belief has shaped every step of his career—from choosing general surgery to returning to rural Nebraska and becoming one of the state’s strongest advocates for independent medicine and rural healthcare.
Interestingly, medicine wasn’t always part of the plan.
While attending Doane College in Crete, where he earned his degree in Biology and graduated summa cum laude, Dr. Schroeder wasn’t certain what career path he wanted to pursue. Everything changed after he shadowed a general surgeon at Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings.
“I realized how much I enjoyed interacting with patients and helping meet their physical needs,” he recalls.
Initially interested in family medicine, Dr. Schroeder’s passion shifted during his third-year surgical rotation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It was there that he discovered general surgery—and knew he had found his calling.
After earning his medical degree from UNMC, Dr. Schroeder completed a five-year general surgery residency at Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Although he trained outside of Nebraska, his goal never changed.
“I always knew I wanted to come back to rural Nebraska.”
That commitment was so strong that early in his second year of residency he signed an agreement to return to Hastings after graduation. While Mary Lanning Healthcare offered financial support during residency, Dr. Schroeder says the opportunity to serve rural Nebraska was the greatest reward.
His wife, Erika, whom he met while attending Doane College, shared that vision. A native of Friend, Nebraska, she completed her nursing training at Mary Lanning Healthcare. Together, after five years in Michigan, they returned home in 2015.
Dr. Schroeder initially practiced as a hospital-employed surgeon before making another significant decision in 2019—to establish Nebraska Rural Surgical Associates as an independent practice.
“It was a challenge I wanted to take on,” he says. “Independent practice gives us the flexibility to make decisions quickly, focus on our patients, and keep healthcare local.”
Today, Dr. Schroeder and his partner Dr. Jared Dietze provide surgical care not only in Hastings but also in Minden, Superior, Hebron, Geneva, Henderson, and York, serving people across multiple counties in south-central Nebraska.
Dr. Schroeder’s passion extends well beyond the operating room.
Since 2016, Hastings has served as the rural general surgery residency rotation site for UNMC giving third- and fourth-year surgical residents firsthand experience practicing in rural America. He believes exposing future surgeons to rural practice is essential to strengthening Nebraska’s healthcare workforce.
Dr. Schroeder also serves as a preceptor for medical students, physician assistant students, nurse practitioner students, and even high school and college students exploring healthcare careers.
“I’ll always work with students,” he says. “If we want to keep healthcare strong in rural communities, we have to invest in the next generation.”
Beginning this August, Dr. Schroeder will join the faculty of the new UNMC College of Medicine campus in Kearney, where he will serve as a small-group facilitator while continuing his surgical practice. He was also recently named Honorary Faculty at Creighton University, where he will collaborate with researchers studying rural surgery and serve as a consultant on rural surgical care.
Nationally, Dr. Schroeder has become a respected advocate for rural surgery.
He currently serves as President-Elect of the Nebraska Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, is the organization’s Rural Representative, and has presented nationally on the importance of preserving rural surgical care.
His passion is fueled by concerning workforce trends.
Approximately 18% of Americans live in rural communities, yet only about 10% of U.S. surgeons practice in rural areas. Nearly half of those rural surgeons are over age 50, and about one-quarter are over age 65. Meanwhile, only a small percentage of today’s surgical residents ultimately choose rural practice.
Those statistics reinforce what Dr. Schroeder has long believed: preserving rural surgery is essential to preserving rural hospitals.
As a chief resident, he researched the economic impact of surgery on rural hospitals and found that operating rooms can account for 30% to 70% of a hospital’s revenue. Without local surgical services, many rural hospitals—and the communities they serve—would struggle to survive.
“The people are my favorite part,” he says. “The commitment you see from physicians, nurses, staff, and everyone working in rural hospitals is incredible. It’s truly a team environment, and these hospitals are vital to their communities.”
Dr. Schroeder’s dedication has earned statewide and national recognition. Most recently, he received the Nebraska Rural Healthcare Association’s Outstanding Rural Health Practitioner Award. He has also been recognized with multiple teaching awards from the UNMC General Surgery Residency Program, including the Outstanding Surgery Faculty Award and Outstanding Faculty Operating Room Educator.
For OneHealth Nebraska, Dr. Schroeder embodies the very best of independent medicine—a physician whose leadership extends far beyond the operating room, whose commitment strengthens rural healthcare across the state, and whose investment in educating future providers will benefit Nebraska communities for generations to come.
Whether caring for patients in the operating room, mentoring future physicians, or advocating for independent rural hospitals, Dr. Schroeder continues to prove that exceptional healthcare doesn’t have to be found in a large metropolitan medical center. Sometimes, it begins in a small Nebraska community—with a physician committed to serving the people who call it home.