A young patient of Dr. Sondra Heiligman, a beloved pediatrician in our community, once went to an urgent care for an earache. The PA who examined the child playfully told her that he saw an elephant in her ear. The child was surprised and said that her doctor, Dr. Heiligman, had said the same thing. It turned out that the PA was one of the students who had studied under Dr. Heiligman.
This amusing anecdote shows Dr.
Heiligman’s enjoyment of children as well as her desire to serve others,
including medical students. These qualities, along with her interest in science,
led her toward a career in pediatrics. Volunteering in the hospital playroom
was one experience that helped shape her path. She graduated from Albert
Einstein College of Medicine in 1985, did her residency and training in
Maryland, and later completed a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology.
Dr. Heiligman has always been there
to serve the community. I still remember walking to her home on a Friday night
when I wasn’t sure whether my child needed stitches. She was warm and welcoming
then, just as she is now when people come to her for advice.
Recently, Dr. Heiligman moved her
practice to FastMed Urgent Care in the Atrium. She now sees her private
patients there and enjoys the collaborative environment, surrounded by other
physicians and PAs with whom she can exchange ideas.
Taking a Child to the Doctor
When I asked Dr. Heiligman what
advice she has for parents after so many years of caring for children and their
families, she shared several thoughtful insights:
Be clear about your concerns. Tell the doctor what worries you,
and don’t hesitate to bring a list of questions. Sometimes it takes careful
conversation to uncover the real issue. A parent may come in because a child
has a fever but forget to mention that his toe hurts – or that a recent family
tragedy has made her especially anxious. Doctors don’t judge; they want to
understand.
Share what you’ve already tried. Many parents use homeopathic or
over?the?counter remedies before coming in. It’s important for the doctor to
know what the child has already received. Dr. Heiligman respects parents’ right
to make decisions for their children, so there’s no need to hold back.
Follow the care plan. Antibiotics don’t help if they stay
in the bottle, and X?rays don’t provide answers if they’re never taken. Treatment
only works when it’s carried out.
Every child – and every parent – needs
guidance. Watching children grow is one of the joys of pediatrics. Helping
first?time parents is meaningful, but even a mother of 10 may need guidance
with her tenth child.
Check advice with your doctor. Parents and grandparents often
share well?intentioned advice, but it is always a good idea to run those ideas
by the doctor. Things may have changed since your parents were taking care of
little children.
Respect a child’s comfort and
autonomy. Some
children feel uneasy during an exam. Dr. Heiligman acknowledges their feelings
and reminds them that it’s their body and they are in charge of it. If they
notice something unusual, they should tell a parent or a doctor. She also notes
that having a doctor who shares your cultural background can be helpful, as he
or she may better understand concerns related to your religion or way of life.
Thoughts on Contemporary Medicine
I asked Dr. Heiligman about the
many changes in medical care over the years.
Regarding the surge in the use of urgent
care facilities and physician assistants (PAs), Dr. Heiligman said, “The
advantage of urgent care is that it is open for many more hours than a regular
doctor’s office and you don’t need an appointment. The disadvantage is that you
don’t get the continuity of care that you get with your own regular doctor.
“PAs are well trained to take care
of common abnormalities. They are very good at that. When things get more
complicated, seeing an MD is more prudent.”
I asked the doctor about the effect
of online medical information. “Today, everyone has access to ‘Dr. Google,’”
she said. “Before coming to the doctor, the parent will have already researched
the treatment by browsing the internet. But it is worthwhile to go to the
doctor anyway because he or she will know how to sift through the information
to see what is correct and relevant.”
Insurance coverage has also
changed: “Forty years ago, insurance paid a set amount for each child that was
in your care,” said Dr. Heiligman. “Today a doctor gets paid per visit. That
gives the doctor an incentive to see more patients and give each patient less
time. Insurance also has a lot of requirements about prior approval for various
procedures and treatments.”
It was a pleasure to speak with Dr.
Heiligman and to learn from the perspective of such an experienced and
compassionate physician.
