| “How
do you practice medicine?” or “What is your philosophy
as a pediatrician?” These are the questions I'm
often asked by expectant parents or new families when I meet
and talk with them as they are searching for a pediatrician.
From a strictly medical standpoint, I tell people that I am
fairly conservative in assessing and treating medical problems.
In order to give my patients the care they deserve, I always
try to have a valid, medically sound reason for recommending
a test or a treatment.
The other equally important aspect of my practice
or philosophy is my role in helping parents during the entire
process of raising their children. “Parents have the
hardest job. I'm there to help with both physical and
non physical problems, sometimes just to answer questions,
and sometimes just to listen.”
|
|
I think the most important key to my relationship with a family
is communication. “Sometimes, when their child is ill or something
else is upsetting them, parents can find it difficult to express
their biggest concern or fear. My job is to listen closely to parents
in order to understand their concerns and priorities. Then I have
to be very clear in letting them know what I think the problem is,
the options for handling it, and finally my recommendation for treatment. ”The only way to build a trusting relationship with a family is by
communicating. When I build that relationship, my reward is sharing
in a small part of a child’s life and getting to watch them
grow up. ”I can only say that this is how I would like to
be treated and how I would like my family treated.
Sometimes people want to know why I became a physician and how
I chose pediatrics as my career. I can't say I had a life
changing experience or that I knew and admired a certain physician
as I grew up. My father was the first of our family to attend college,
after returning from World War II, and I am the first physician
in the family. I can only say that ever since I was old enough to
start considering “what I want to be when I grow up,”
being a pediatrician has been the thing I knew I should be doing.
I've never seen another career or specialty that would draw
me away from pediatrics…being the best pediatrician I can
be is simply the right thing to do.
I was the oldest of three boys, born and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
I attended St. Joseph's High School in Kenosha before moving
on to attend Marquette University. There I earned a Bachelor's
Degree in biology, graduating with honors in 1977. My next stop
was doing work in a research laboratory, and then attending The
Medical College of Wisconsin. I graduated in 1982 and began three
years of internship and residency at Children's Hospital of
Wisconsin. In 1985, I joined Dr. Saran in private practice. Together,
in 1986, we founded Pediatric Healthcare. I am Board certified in
Pediatrics and I hold a teaching appointment of Assistant Clinical
Professor of Pediatrics through The Medical College of Wisconsin.
My interests include care of infants, particularly with first time
parents, and sports medicine. I am married and I have three children
of my own, two boys and a girl.
|
