Happy to have had wonderful staff take care of me for those days I felt emotional at an appointment and they helped give me some privacy. Happy to have found Dr. Owens after my first miscarriage. Doctor Owens has done my 2 c-sections followed by a recent regular birth. Now, pregnant with a fourth. Thank you Dr. Owens enjoy that retirement end of 2026. read more

John R Owens, MD - This is my third boy being born naturally after 2 C-Sections (VBAC). I'm grateful to have had a Doctor who listens to his patients. - Obstetricians & Gynecologists Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Dr Owens was my OBGYN when I was having my daughter 14 years ago. I truly had the best delivery for her. Due to my history, he wanted to keep me in the hospital as I deliver quickly. I was 2 cm when I admitted to the hospital and she was delivered less than 2 hours later. The office completed a uterine ablation for me and now I have had some other issues that Laura is helping me work through. The care is compassionate and I can't imagine going anywhere else. read more

Rude staff he needs to find new people to work there, only one that are great ultrasound lady and Dr.owens, I had a kid already 5 years ago never once I had a problem, but this new pregnancy, the told me I couldn't come back through a later because I had to reschedule 2 times because my son was really sick and they don't allow kids in the office, my pregnant has been the worst because of them read more

John R Owens, MD - Obstetricians & Gynecologists Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Returned after several years of insurance changes. Still same nurse practitioner that I like and fast services. So happy Dr. Owens is still enjoying working. read more

No follow up Surgery canceled by them Not senior friendly!! I guess they're just into babies read more

Dr Owens and Laura are amazing!! My whole entire experience with my first pregnancy was amazing. Both Owens and Laura are super knowledgeable and helpful. Dr Owens also delivered my baby at memorial and it went wonderful. There were a few complications and he handled them all flawlessly. Overall, amazing office, staff, and Dr! read more

This office is so calming and relaxing. Every person working is kind and considerate of the emotions and feelings that come with this profession. The atmosphere is inviting. Doctor really listened and wanted to help. The student he had with him really paid attention to appropriate bedside manner. Everything about this has been an experience. My only complaint is not finding them twenty years ago when I was having children! read more

John R Owens, MD - The waiting room. Isn't it darling? - Obstetricians & Gynecologists Near Me - Bakersfield, California

The staff the doctors are very sweet very nice and very helpful. I always find a way to work with my schedule.

If you decide to go to this doctor I highly recommend you don't. I had the worst experience with John Owens. My pregnancy started out great and normal considering I'm young and only 21 years old, but things took a turn once I hit 30 weeks. My blood pressure spiked up over the 180/100s and he never once was concerned about it. Kept giving more and more meds that did absolutely nothing. I went to the ER 3 time for my blood pressure with severe symptoms of preeclampsia. He never wanted to admit that I had it and that I was fine and healthy since I'm young. If it weren't for my mom and all her nurse friends fighting him to help me I would've died along with my baby. He wanted to send me home every time I was in the hospital and the second time he finally checked my blood levels after wanting to send me home the morning of and I was going into kidney failure which caused me to have a c section at 31 weeks. My baby was in the NICU for a month and 2 weeks. I know that if he had just listened to me and my family this maybe could've been avoided. He also discharged me not even 48 hours after a c section, and didn't agree with the maternal fetal medicine doctor when he recommended I stay in the hospital longer. He said that doctor didn't know what he was talking about. I was even readmitted to the hospital after being sent home too soon for my blood pressure. My blood pressure is just now starting to go back to normal after almost 4 months. He is not a good doctor and doesn't care if anything is wrong with you. Me and my baby are fine and healthy but I am suffering severe anxiety and depression from this traumatic experience. So please reconsider before picking this office. read more

Don't normally write negative reviews but I am pissed!!! Horrible costumer service. First time to office and would not see me because I did not have a physical copy of insurance card only on phone and that is the only one I was given by ins company!! Would not let me talk to manager. I have been in pain for weeks and waited for this appointment and took time off work!! Unacceptable!!! Get with the times everything is electronic these days!!! Will not be rescheduling read more

I had my initial appointment with the NP Laura who insisted I have a pelvic exam performed at 9 weeks pregnant, despite me being a screened surrogate and being on my third pregnancy. She said it was to check if the baby would fit (I cannot roll my eyes hard enough), and if I didn't have it done then no hospital would allow me to birth. I've had two natural births (one at home) and I can tell you BOTH babies fit just fine. I decided to skip OB care altogether and now I'll be birthing with the amazing Justine at the Bakersfield Birth Center! (The 2 stars are for the fact that at least Laura had the decency to call me and say they wouldn't see me if I refused a pelvic exam. It gave me the opportunity to find another care provider.) read more

The ladies who answer the phone have always super rude. One lady who answered the phone (I believe her name was Mellissa but I'm not 100% sure) was super unprofessional and had an attitude for no reason. All you guys do is sit on the phone and computer all day, you might as well be a decent human being while you're at it and treat your patients with respect. Smh. read more

Dr Owens, Laura NP, Sandi and the entire staff are amazing. I switched from a large OBGYN practice about a year ago and so happy I did. Everyone is so kind and compassionate. Dr Owens and Laura go above and beyond. I have referred so many of my patients and friends to them because of my exceptional experience with the practice. It is worth the drive and you won't regret it. I would give them 10 stars if I could. Thank you all for all your kindness and compassion. read more

Dr owens had to be reminded to examine both sides of my chest at my physical, and told me my pap was "optional" since mine have been normal so far. Also, the front office staff is an absolute nightmare. The nurse practitioner also stuffed the IUD THROUGH MY UTERUS and couldn't fine it, resulting in time off work for them to surgically retrieve it. read more

I picked this office on a whim because I had found out I was unexpectedly pregnant and needed to see someone right away because I have high blood pressure and I take Atenolol for it. When I finally went to the first appointment, I only saw the nurse practitioner Laura Valenzuela. She was rude to not only me and my boyfriend but she was rude during my pelvic exam, asking me where I was going to deliver (I was barely six weeks and with one miscarriage six years ago, I was more concerned about the health of the baby than the hospital) and other questions in a low voice where I couldn't understand her words. I asked her if I should stop taking the Atenolol because my general doctor told me to stop right away and to get on a safer drug meant for pregnancy. She said it was fine. Needless to say I don't think it was fine because two weeks later I am experiencing a missed miscarriage. I would advise not going to this office, I received more positivity from the nurses working here than the doctors. I've read online from various women who have taken Atenolol and had subsequent miscarriages because they were advised to keep taking it. It is a Category D drug. I feel as though the nurse practitioner needs to learn a thing or two about treating patients with care and understanding. If you don't like what you do, retire or quit. Pregnancy should be an exciting time and the more information that is provided is better. If I ever get pregnant again I will never go back to this office. What a horrible experience. read more

Doctor owens is the best obgyn he delivered my last baby via C-section and he is so funny jokes around such a great doctor he's been awesome and I'm thankful I have Him as my obgyn read more

I went to Dr Owens office to get my yearly check up. I chose this office because of the 5 star review here, and I am planning on getting pregnant soon and I wanted to find a doctor I liked. I can't comment on Dr Owens at all, because I did not see him. I also cannot comment on the nurse practitioner either, as they would not let me see her. Instead I was seen by a student, and I had to wait over an hour to be seen by her. She was nice, but was only there to get her hours of practice and would be gone within a few weeks. That was nearly a year ago, and I recently made an appointment to meet Dr Owens and discuss how I needed to prepare to get pregnant. I called my insurance and verified that I didn't need a referral, and when I made the appointment I verified that this was just a normal office visit. A day before my appointment, Carla from the booking office called to tell me that my visit would not be covered, as my insurance does not cover infertility. When I called her back to find out why a standard office visit was considered an infertility consult, she was very rude and told me a mistake was made while booking the appointment, but she would not fix it. She advised me to call my insurance for a referral. I was excited to try this office, but I will not be choosing them for my pregnancy needs. If I have this much trouble for a standard office visit, how much trouble will they give me when pregnant? read more

I am moving out of state and I needed the office to send my medical records to my new doctor for my appointment the following week. After constant badgering from the office I was to be seen by, and multiple faxes for documentation, I finally had to get on the phone and call Dr. Owens office myself. After two separate phone calls, and two instances of being on hold for over 25 minutes, I definitely have to say good riddance to the terrible staff and inadequacies of Owens' approaches to "infertility." I'm in better hands now. Unfortunately, the experience as a whole is a negative for the few staff members that were always diligent. Joy, the medical assistant, will always have your back. Unfortunately, she's the only one. read more

Dr Owens is an amazing doctor, you truly have a great delivery experience with him. Laura can be rude but she was still helpful throughout my pregnancy. The ladies at the front desk are very sweet. Only issue is trying to get an appointment and sometimes have to see Laura instead of Owens read more

Brushes serious problems off that could lead to the death of you and/or your baby.

I made an appointment over the phone, but switched insurances since my last appointment. Apparently billing is not able to search for your insurance information even if you show them your ID from the blue shield App. A simple heads up to bring the new physical card would have been great! My 40 minute commute was a waste! read more

The only reason Dr. Owens isn't getting 1 star is because HE is a good doctor. His ultra sound tech, layna, needs some serious help with her customer service. She was extremely rude and overall a horrendous lady. She made my son cry, and made me and my wife feel like we were breaking the rules AFTER Dr. Owens gave us the ok to be in the ultrasound room. Apparently, she runs the show. Horrible experience, never going back. I am actually surprised that we gave this office 4 visits, I wish we would have ditched this office after the first visit. Dr Owens you can thank your ultraound tech for losing our business. read more

Dr. Owens is a great physician because of his medical expertise and great way of answering questions and concerns in an informative manner. He educates, rather than just summing up his opinion or telling you just what he thinks you need to know or hear. We are happy he'll be delivering our baby soon! read more

John R Owens, MD - Obstetricians & Gynecologists Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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After reading all these horrible reviews, I was a bit hesitant. But, my sister has seen him for the delivery of her son, so I figured I would try, and I really liked it! I met with Laura for my first appointment (which you will at this office) and she was kind. She wasn't as mothering as I would like, but it was my first appointment. She answered any questions I had about pain or signs I was having that were alarming. I then got to go into my ultra sound, and it was so beautiful to hear our babies heart beat. I would recommend this office. It was clean, fast, and everyone was really nice, especially the X-ray tech! I wish i knew her name because she was amazing! read more

Dr Owens has been my dr for all 3 and now my 4th pregnancy due in August. I trust him completely and would never go to anyone else. He is the nicest sweetest man who puts you at ease and answers every question. He was even more amazing in the delivery room delivering my babies. He even came in and checked on my progress through out the early morning numerous times. During delivery he was calm and actually funny. Even after I delivered he talked and joked with my husband and showed him the placenta and explained so much to him. It is also nice that his office is right across the street from memorial hospital. I'm so excited to have him as my dr again. read more

I was referred to this doctor by a friend and switching to him has been nothing but a mistake. The biggest mistake I've ever made actually. I wish I could go back in time and not have ever met him let alone have any procedures done with this doctor. His work is poor and bed side manner only slightly better. I am left with some pretty serious consequences of my procedures with him due to his serious lack of skill for one procedure and blatant lack of disclosure of side effects for another procedure that was done simultaneously. There is some serious "bad medicine" coming from this doctor and what he says and does are borderline unethical. He coldly brushes off any mention of issues brought up regarding post op and dodges any responsibility for the damage he has caused. I can't imagine too many patients actually like him let alone trust this doctor. For me, I felt like nothing more than a dollar sign to him. And now I am out money and worse, my health. Please, please take this advise and avoid this doctor. I have so much regret and wish someone would have steered me in another direction to see someone else. read more

LOVED LOVED LOVED my experience with Dr. Owens! He was so nice & always answered my questions. Although, his NP Laura was a bit rude at times .. definitely will have Dr. Owens deliver my second baby! read more

Dr. Owens has delivered two of my four children and is a wonderful Dr. delivery was a VBAC which was what I wanted ( caused by an unnecessary c section performed by another Dr.) Many Drs won't allow this. Just realize a lot of c sections is to make money for Dr. and the hospital, using fear. He is willing to allow you to make those decisions and educates you. Yes, it would've been horrible to lose a child, but I felt at least with Dr. Owens, it was my choice not motivated by Drs greed, hospital, or insurance company! Love, Dr. Owens. Too many ratings on staff, not Dr. Owens! read more

I am not happy to see the bad reviews, but I am relieved I am not the only one. My first (and only) pregnancy and both my son and I almost died because of John's casual attitude. I also refuse to call him doctor. And his nurse is the Antichrist. First problem, my blood pressure was so low during my pregnancy that John advised me not to go anywhere alone. Okay, I can understand that. Second problem, I went to see him at 32 weeks because I was retaining so much fluid. My blood pressure was 160/90! I cried and went into panic mode. John had me wait an hour and did my BP again. It was the same. I was 33 years old. He told me to come back at my regularly scheduled appointment in 2 WEEKS and if my BP was still a problem, he would address it then. Less than 24 hrs later, my water broke. At 32 weeks. I was terrified! My blood pressure was right around the same 160/90 and continued to rise during the night. I begged, pleaded, cried and yelled at John to do something about it. ANYTHING! He just kept saying I was fine. When I was dilated to 5, I felt strong pressure and the nurse checked me and called John. She told me "Baby is ready to come out. Let's get you into delivery position." John walks in, checked me and said "Nope, she is fine. Giver her an epidural." and walked out yet again. The last thing I remembered was looking at the monitor and my blood pressure was 220/170. I looked at my husband and said "Oh my God." The next coherent moment I had, I was told I has suffered a seizure, my son was born during said seizure and he was in NICU. He spent a month in NICU learning how to eat. He is 5 years old today and perfectly healthy. I however, never had another baby. I spiraled into a deep depression, developed major anxiety and finally went into recovery 2 years ago. If we weren't healthy and happy today, I would have slammed John Owens with a malpractice suit! read more

As a husband and now father, seeing a slightly different patient side of the everything , I really have no complaints. We were happy that many people recommended him and seems is very well respected in his field. his bedside manner was excellent. He does have a laid back approach but his patients really do see the benefit to ease any anxiety. He really makes people feel comfortable. I have always felt you go to doctors for their wisdom and expertise that they get from experience, and he exemplified all of these. He definitely tells you your options and explains the situations clearly. I was very happy to have him for my wife's pregnancy. Excellent in birthing room. read more

Laura has the worst bedside manner ever! I will only continue going if i dont have to deal with her. Shes beyond rude & inconsiderate. She pays no mind to wats going on.. dr owens on the other hand is amazing.... read more

I have been going to Dr. Owens since I moved to Bakersfield in 2008. Originally I was only going there for Gyn, but more recently saw him for my second pregnancy. I urge people to stay away from this office. Although Dr. Owens is a nice man and a very knowledgeable Dr., it's not worth what you have to put up with from the rest of his staff. The office is very old and somewhat dilapidated. There is almost always a VERY long wait time and it's rare that you will get to see Dr. Owens. Rather, you'll have to see his Nurse Practitioner, Laura. She is also very knowledgeable, but her bedside manner leaves something to be desired. One of the Medical Assistants is EXTREMELY rude and has NO personality whatsoever. His nurse, Angie, never returns phone calls in a timely manner and isn't helpful. Often times, there are children running wild in the waiting room when there are signs clearly posted that small children should be left at home. You really feel the lack of personal care here and feel as if no one really remembers you. read more

I liked Laura the NP but she doesn't stand up to Dr. Owens. Owens announced the procedure he would be doing for me but it seems he still likes to use the morcellator tool on women who need hysterectomies. The FDA issued a warning against its use in November 2014 except in young women. It's not recommended for older women (of whom I am one) since cancerous tumors have had more time to develop in them. He still was planning to use it. I don't think he has a lot of respect for new safety protocols. When he mentioned briefly that he might be using that procedure that involves the morcellator I asked him about it and told him I had heard it could spread cancer around. He dismissed this and apparently decided not to mention the FDA warning to me, which I thought was wrong. There are a lot of lawyers out there suing over morcellator issues but I don't want to have grounds for a suit; I want to avoid aggressive, fast-moving and painful cancer! read more

My old ob retired so I have been going to Dr Owen's office this pregnancy. I like them,I have never had a problem with the staff they are all nice & helpful. I see Dr Owens about half the time the other half is Laura his Np & they are both nice,professional, always ask if I have any questions,etc I feel comfortable not like I'm being rushed. Sometimes it can be a wait for afternoon appointments but that is the case with most dr's. I'm happy being a patient here. read more

I'm really sorry to hear some of the sad and disappointed stories about Dr. Owens. I've been a patient if his since 2007 and I do not have one bad word to say about him. He delivered my youngest son in 2008 and was wonderful. Yes his office gets very busy, he comes highly recommended and has lots of patients. I at times saw Laura and was fine with that. I've since had a tube ligation and also bladder sling and ablation with no complications or complaints. I will continue to be his patient and refer clients to him. read more

Today was my first appointment and I am so happy I switched doctors. I didn't feel rushed and he laid out all of my options explaining each one and what his recommendation would be. His ultrasound tech was amazing and I didn't have issues at all today. He was a little hard to get ahold of to make an appointment but after my experience I can overlook his receptionist. Unlike other offices I have been to I was in and out in an hour and that was with new patient paperwork and all. read more

I cannot describe how great my experience has been with this office. I found out I was pregnant and my previous OBGYN office would not return my calls so I asked a nurse who she would recommend because I needed a new Dr. ASAP. My first visit was with Laura, and she was great. I like people who are 'down to earth' and 'business like'. She was very matter of fact and answered all my questions... Dr. Owens was great as well. He always asked if I had questions and always had answers. I felt comfortable with both of them and it made my pregnancy really stress free. I delivered a wonderful boy and just as the recommending nurse said, Dr. Owens was very encouraging and finished efficiently. I like a Dr. who is honest and collaborative with their patients and that is just what he is. I couldn't have been in better hands. read more

Dr Owens was recommended by a friend who said he's one of the best OB doctors in town. Maybe that's true, but his office is terribly disorganized, the staff is hit or miss (and it's a big miss when it's a miss), and the condition of the building is poor. Waits are 30~45 min in the office, up to 20 min on the phone. After 3 appointments I switched to San Dimas and am much happier with the experience there. We only saw Dr Owens briefly on the 3rd visit. He did not instill confidence nor was the experience amazing enough to merit putting up with his staff for the next 7-8 months. PRO: Heard he's great in the delivery room CONS: Hit or miss office receptionists Hit or miss finance employees Won't see Dr Run-down office Long version: Challenges with Dr Owen's staff- Receptionist- One is good, her name is Amanda. She's on top of things, has great phone skills, and pleasant in person. But then there's the other one (doesn't wear glasses). She is rude, keeps callers on hold for a long time (I've watched her in the office), and generally not helpful if you ask questions like "how long is a general appointment, just ballpark so I know how long to enter the time-off for work?" Her: It depends. Me: Yes, I understand, I mean, are we talking 1-2 hrs? Over 4? (I'm trying to give her an easy out here; of course there's no way an appt could take 4 hrs) Her: I don't know. Trying to call and get through to someone can take 20-25 minutes. Finance- Corinne is great; she's sharp, she understands logic & billing. Then there's Sonia/Sophia (don't recall exact name). Sonia could not explain how billing worked and was easily confused. Both my spouse and I are engineers; we are numbers people. But for the life of Sonia, she could not explain how global billing worked, could not explain why the calculations against the deductible were done the way they were, nor how charges were billed by visit/procedure. We tried to ask Sonia, "yes, but if you're saying you don't know how much things cost, let's say we move half-way through the pregnancy. You want to be paid for the services. How do you calculate & get the money you're owed?" Sonia: "We send a collection agency." *facepalm* My spouse was ready to lose it. Luckily Sonia stepped out. Corinne then turned around in her chair and clarified in 30 seconds- global maternity billing is like a program. The reason we saw itemized charges initially was because it was prior to confirmation of viable pregnancy. Once the pregnancy is confirmed, then you roll into something like a package deal. If you switch half way through, there are standard codes to charge for partial services rendered. THANK YOU CORINNE. She gave me enough info that I could go home and research standard billing codes as published by several OB societies. She explained in 30 sec what Sonia couldn't comprehend after multiple conversations. But our confidence in their back office was still lost. Dr. Owens- We waited to make the decision to switch until after we saw him once in case he was so spectacular as to merit putting up with his staff. We finally saw him. He had a student shadowing him and Dr Owens tried to find the fetal heartbeat with a doppler. He clearly never found it (that's ok, completely normal in the early weeks to not find it sometimes) but perhaps to seem competent in front of the student, he ends the non-stop wand waving & clearly no sound with "yup! 150, right on track!" No, it's obvious when it's just static vs a heartbeat (I went to San Dimas a few days later & clearly heard what a heartbeat on doppler sounds like) plus you'd stop the wand at least briefly if you picked something up. He was in a rush to leave. When my spouse and I told him about his finance ladies, he did not register the feedback at all, did not express responsibility for his office staff. We presented both the good (Corinne) and bad (Sonia), but there was nothing, no "thank you for the feedback" nor "we want to deliver you the best experience" (responses you can tactfully give to customers even if you disagree with them). And so-long, he was back out the door. I've heard from people who stuck through with Dr Owens until their delivery date. They say he himself is great, but yes, his office and staff are lacking. I've been much happier with San Dimas and thankful to have switched. The office and their staff are consistently friendly & professional, they have a lab on-site so it's easy to get the labwork done, and making appointments is fast & convenient. Overall the facility simply runs the way you'd expect a professional organization to run. I appreciate it much more after the poor experience at Dr. Owen's office. read more

I found Dr. John Owens and all his staff to be kind and professional. He just did a total hysterectomy on me and the results couldn't have been better. I am 70 yrs.old and never had problems before this fibroid tumor. I was really quite frightened, but it needed to be addressed. Dr. Owens carefully explained the whole procedure and everything went as he said it would. I am astonished at how well I am doing and the pain is very manageable (which was the reason for my fears). I feel very safe with him and trust him completely. Highly recommend! (great sense of humor, too, which helps). Thank you very much, Dr. Owens! read more

It's been a really long time since I've seen Dr Owens or been to his office but about 6 years ago he was my dr. I was young about 21 years old and my husband and I were trying to conceive but having issues. Dr Owens did a surgery on me and said I had endometriosis, which he said he burned off. But still no baby. He had my husband tested but no issues there. He even put me on a medicine called clomid (I think?) and still no baby. But I do not blame the Dr for that. We ended up adopting 3 beautiful kids from foster care (none biologically related) and what do ya know!? Bam! Pregnant with my last and final baby. But I did not see Dr Owens for my pregnancy. I have nothing real bad to say about him but I just felt he didn't have real good bed side manner. He was in and out, without really answering my questions. At 21 I didn't even know what endometriosis was. I didn't feel he really explained things well. And I remember waiting a long time to get called back. This was years ago so maybe that's changed? But I remember my husband falling asleep in the waiting area one time bc the wait was very long. I ended up with a wonderful dr for my pregnancy and happy I choose to move on... read more