Is it odd that I actually kindof look forward to pediatrician visits? Not that I want my kids to be sick, and when they are sick I'm pretty conservative about calling the doctor (always asking myself what information or treatment she can provide that we can't give the kids ourselves)...but if you've gotta have a physical or a throat culture, it's pretty awesome to be able to do it in a place the kids and parents like visiting.
Our pediatrician is Dr. Gayle Schrier Smith, and she's nothing short of fabulous. She's also a bit of an anomaly in pediatric care - in the past two years, she converted her standard practice to a membership model. Perhaps you've heard of concierge medicine, in which a physician has fewer patients and is therefore able to give them a higher quality of care. In Dr. Smith's case, by changing her practice model, she was able to give patients the level of care she had been striving to provide all along. She has HIGH standards for herself and prior to her practice switch, I had never been able to understand how she was able to maintain such a personal level of care in a typical busy pediatric practice.
Dr. Smith is the third doc we've worked with since Griffin was born, and the second in Richmond. Her core philosophy revolves around respectful, evidence-based continuity of care for children and partnership with parents in providing care to their kids. This is, unfortunately, not the norm. There are some wonderful pediatricians out there, but they are outnumbered by doctors who don't trust in parents' knowledge about their children, don't treat parents as intelligent collaborators, don't treat children with sensitivity, and rely heavily on bias instead of education. Entering her office for the first time after Reese was born, I hoped for the best and feared that we'd have to settle, but Dr. Smith has consistently exceeded my expectations from the very first visit five years ago. With the switch to her new practice model, she has reached an all new level of amazing care for families.Some of the things I love about Dr. Smith:
- She really and truly wants to work in conjunction with parents. Every visit feels personal, every discussion about my child's health is framed within the context of myself as an educated, intelligent mother who is the person most familiar with her own children.
- She is adept at scaffolding - always adding a new layer to my understanding of medicine. I like knowing why a specific test is or is not appropriate. I want to deepen my understanding of vaccines and immunology. I'm still completely geeked-out in awe of what I learned from her about x-rays and pneumonia. She really knows her stuff and she's enthusiastic about passing that knowledge on to me.
- She is open-minded. No two families are alike. No two kids are alike. The beliefs, choices, and needs of each are unique. I know many families who struggle with receiving judgment and pressure concerning their birth, breastfeeding, family bed, vaccination, and discipline choices. I've never received anything but support for what I'm doing and solid resources to help me face future decisions.
- She is not stuck in time. Have you ever had a physician who went to med school, finished residency, and then was convinced that what he or she learned was The Way Things Are forevermore? Responsible medicine requires keeping on top of the continuously-developing scientific understanding of the human body, constantly evaluating best practices, and being willing to filter out both old and new ideas that don't work. Even just across the five years we've been with her, recommendations have changed and she's consistently on top of the research and able to discuss it with me and work with me to figure out what works for the child in front of us.
- She treats the WHOLE child, and the whole family. She's interested in who these young people are and in fostering family connections. Kids respond well to that. So do their parents.
- My children adore her. They feel safe, they feel listened to. (And the lollipops don't hurt.)
