"Why I Became a Doctor I became a doctor so that I could provide the kind of care to my patients that I wish my mom had been able to receive. My mother became paralyzed from the neck down when I was in elementary school and she developed a variety of chronic conditions, being unable to move. While she had some great doctors, I always wished that she had a doctor that would spend more time with her, coordinate her care and really help her with her many problems. Unfortunately, Mom passed away before my medical career was underway and I was never able to truly help her. Fortunately, I have been able to use my compassion and medical knowledge to help others who needed someone to care about them. Volunteer Work During my years of medical training, I was able to do medical volunteer work in both Mexico and Africa. In Juarez, Mexico, we were working with a very poor, under-served community that really needed our medical help, and it was special to be able to make a difference in their lives. While volunteering in Zambia, Africa, I worked at a make shift clinic, treating patients who had walked miles to receive medical care because there were no doctors available where they lived. It was a world very different from the way we live in the US and helped me to realize how truly blessed we are to live here. Medical Experience After residency, I began working in Brenham, Texas, in a multi-physician primary care practice. In the office, I saw patients with a broad range of illnesses ranging from simple sore throats to patients with complicated chronic conditions. I was also primarily responsible for taking care of those patients admitted to the hospital by our practice. Nine years ago, I accepted a position as a Hospitalist with the largest multi-specialty practice in Austin. As a Hospitalist, I only saw patients who had been admitted to the hospital and treated them for a very diverse range of illnesses. While I was the primary doctor for all of my patients, I was also responsible for bringing in and coordinating all care provided by specialists. While it was very satisfying to help patients with complicated illnesses get better, I missed being able to develop a relationship with my patients over time, since I no longer treated them after they were discharged. At Premier Health MD, my goal is to bring my experience in both clinical and hospital settings to my patients and develop relationships with them that last a lifetime."
