Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Edwards.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Almost 5 years ago, I was feeling deeply distressed about trying to continue in medicine at all, I felt like the system was broken and had broken me. It was then that I was introduced to the idea of Direct Primary Care by the amazing Dr. Pamela Wible, who told me that it was possible to practice medicine without having to take insurance and all of the blocks to good care that insurance brings with it. I was shocked, I had no idea that such an option existed and was thriving all over the US. Once I realized that it was possible to take care of patients the way they deserved to be cared for, how I was trained to practice medicine, I knew that I had to start my own DPC practice. The DPC movement is amazing. I was immediately brought in warmly to the fold and mentored through every step of opening my practice.
I had a vision of what I wanted for my practice. A place that was warm and inviting, as little like a regular sterile clinic as possible. Because there was no insurance involved, I was free to design my own setting and practice without limits as to what I could do for my patients.
In February of 2017, I leased my first office. My first patient signed up even before I opened, and actually helped me paint my new office! She has been my stalwart supporter through the last 4 years. I officially opened on April 17th, 2017. I built my practice patient by patient those first few years, while also working nearly full-time in the Emergency Department. In 2018, Virginia Sanders–our phenomenal Reiki Master–started working out of World of Wellness and added a whole new dimension of healing.
I started in a small office, and slowly grew my practice, mostly through word of mouth and those who were already familiar with DPC who were delighted to find a practice here in Oceanside. Patients would come into my office, sit down on the couch, and immediately comment how different it was. They were also shocked at how much time I could spend with them. My shortest appointments are 30 minutes, and for new patients, I always reserve at least 60 minutes.
I have such amazing patients, they are constantly telling people about DPC, and they tell me over and over again their biggest problem is getting people to believe that this kind of care is possible. Although I have grown slowly over the last 4 years, earlier this year I was able to move into a bigger office, which is even warmer and more comfortable. I share the office with a pain management doctor, Dr. Boddhu, who also does stem-cell medicine. Our practice philosophies blend well, and he is excited to have such an inviting space for his patients.
Although I’ve certainly lost some patients to moving, and a few who didn’t feel my practice was for them, I feel fortunate to have so many patients, and families, that I know well and have taken care of for years. I see patients from age zero through senior-citizen and I love it! Having the time to actually sit down and get to know people is one of the joys of medicine. I love that I can sit and chat with people about anything and everything, and often do.
It has been hard work, but also feels like a labor of love, to build something together with my patients and community that is truly different and so fulfilling. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and I hope to continue practicing well into my own senior years!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh gosh no! Since this is a whole new way–or more accurately a very old way–of practicing medicine and people aren’t familiar with it, one of my biggest struggles is just getting people to understand what I do. Most people don’t believe that it is possible to have a doctor that actually listens to them, and treats them like human beings instead of like machines on an assembly line. During the first year, I supported my practice out of my savings and moonlighting in the Emergency Department. I’ve tried different advertising strategies, but it seems like the best one is taking care of the patients I have the way they deserve, the way we all deserve.
One of the things nearly every one of my DPC mentors emphasized was how important it is to keep overhead low. Because of that, I don’t have a staff. I answer my own phone calls, I take my own vital signs, I clean and reset my own exam rooms. That’s all easy to do because I am not trying to cram 30 patients into one day. A busy day for me is seeing 6-7 patients! It has made me far more appreciative of the work that clerks and techs do in the Emergency Department, though!
In the last couple of years, my practice has been in the black, but I still have to moonlight to support my family. It’s been like working two jobs, but knowing that the day is coming when I will be able to devote all of my energies to my practice and my patients keeps me going. My patients really are my cheerleaders. They are always asking me how things are going, and celebrate the big milestones with me. They make the hard times easier, for sure.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Before I went to medical school, I worked as a 911 dispatcher and owned my own martial arts school. I was accepted at the Uniformed Services University Medical School as part of the Navy contingent, and was sworn in as an Ensign in June 2000. I graduated in 2004 and was promoted to Lieutenant and first trained in Surgery at Naval Medical Center, San Diego. My first operational assignment in the Navy was on the USS Rushmore where I deployed to the Pacific and ultimately to Iraq. I got to travel around the world, and take care of patients with my amazing corpsmen in the middle of the Indian Ocean with no other help in sight!
My favorite part of being in the Navy was leading sailors and taking care of men and women who put their names on the dotted line during a time of war. They really are the best of us, the young men and women who choose to serve their country.
After my first assignment, I returned to Naval Medical Center, San Diego and trained for 3 years in Emergency Medicine. I love Emergency Medicine because you never know what is going to come in through the door, and you see every disease and injury at any point in its course. The learning never ends!
After my residency, I had the honor of serving in Japan aboard Naval Hospital Yokosuka, not far from Tokyo. I was there during the Fukishima earthquake, a time I will never forget. The resiliency of the Japanese people is awe-inspiring, and I will forever have great respect for the heart and soul of the Japanese people.
My last assignment in the Navy was with the Marines at Camp Pendleton. That was my favorite of all of my tours. I love Marines! I also got to move to Oceanside which was a life-long dream. Since then I have put down roots in Oceanside, where I have lived longer than I have ever lived anywhere else. This is my home and I love it!
What sets me apart from other doctors is my depth and breadth of experience, and my deep passion for caring for my patients. Emergency Medicine has been a tremendous foundation for primary care, but the learning never ends and my patients teach me new things all of the time. The great thing about DPC is that I have time to both learn from my patients and learn about them. Many of the things other doctors have to send to specialists because they simply lack the time, I can take care of right out of my office. Even when I do send patients to specialists, it is never “Fire and Forget”. I always circle back around to the consultant and bring the bulk of the care back to me.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I think just having the opportunity to live in a country and community where I could get the education I needed to become a doctor requires a great deal of luck. I happened to come from a family that emphasized education, and my mother even went to law school when I was a child. From her I learned that the key to success is persistence above anything else. I was also fortunate to be accepted to USU and get paid to go to medical school. Because of that, I have no huge loans to worry about paying back as I build my business.
Even when I have had struggles, such as when I was considering leaving medicine altogether, I have been so fortunate to have mentors come into my life to help me see such setbacks not as a disaster, but as an opportunity to reset and try something new. That has been amazing, and I have always felt blessed by the people who come into my life at these moments.
Pricing:
- Individual $84 per month
- Couple $149 per month
- Family $189 per month
Contact Info:
- Email: DrEdwards@wowhealingcare.com
- Website: www.wowhealingcare.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wowhealingcare
Image Credits:
World of Wellness Healing Care
