•  On Mar, 26, 2018
•  Doctor Notes
•   Latest News

There are many great things about being a board certified pediatrician, but one of the things that I love most is that I have the chance to develop relationships with patients and their families that can last a lifetime.  While most medical specialties involve simply treating an individual patient’s ailment and then sending them on their way, pediatric medicine works differently.  A child will usually begin visiting me when they are between two and five days old.  Over the course of the next year, that child will return no fewer than six times for regularly scheduled well-child visits, where we will track your child’s growth and development, administer all required immunizations, and treat any health issues that may arise.  During those visits, we can really get a chance to know both the child and their parents, but the relationship doesn’t end there.  After that first year, the time between well-child visits gradually increases until the child begins undergoing regular annual check-ups starting at the age of three.  Those annual well-child check-ups will usually continue until the patient is eighteen years old, and I am proud to say that over the years I have developed a strong bond with my patients and their parents.  Some of my oldest “babies,” who I have known practically since birth and who still see me regularly, are now seventeen years old and looking forward to their own graduation.

Even though Dr. Ashley Brown and I sincerely think of every one of our patients as part of our extended family, there are some stories that really stick with you.  I think that any doctor would have to say that the most satisfying moments in their careers were the times that the decisions they made or the actions they took saved a patient’s life.  One such moment happened to me back in 1995, when I was a Critical Care Transport Physician with the Children’s Hospital of Alabama.  Check out this video, filmed by Opportunity Nation, of the night when I rode for several hours in an ambulance, treating a seven year old girl who was dying of a serious blood infection that she had contracted from an ordinary spider bite.

I still get choked-up when I think about that night, and about how relieved I was when I was sure that we had managed to get Sarah safely to the hospital where she would eventually make a full recovery.  I was so honored when, seventeen years later, her parents invited me to be at her wedding!  Most doctors get maybe ten or twenty “saves” like that over their course of a career, but I have the rare privilege of making life-long connections virtually every day.

If you are interested in learning more about our Briarcliff Pediatric practice, or would like to become a part of our “extended family”, just contact Briarcliff Pediatrics to schedule an appointment.  You can even come in for a complimentary meet and greet so that you can talk in person with me or Dr. Brown and get a tour of our newly renovated office.  Finally, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+ to get up to date health tips and the latest news in children’s health care.