We came here based on a personal referral after being bounced around by insurance for a few years. Unfortunately I was PROFOUNDLY disappointed by the professionalism and care we received here.
It is NOT a safe environment for a kid with a needle phobia or potential neurodivergence. That is the KINDEST language I can use.
My 10 year old has a fear of needles and this office is not equipped to handle that. Despite the nurse and an ME assuring him they would go slow until HE felt comfortable receiving his flu shot, after only a couple of minutes they got impatient and decided to hold him down and force the injection. I asked if they had a method for restraining kids of his size (he's a typical 10 year old... not a toddler I can just hold in my lap!) but they said we could do it ourselves. I followed their lead, helping to restrain my son. Unsurprisingly, we were not coordinated and my son fought back (as expected), kicking and flailing. The moment the shot was over he began to cry and apologize, explaining that he knew he was overreacting but needles "are still very scary".
Instead of responding with compassion, they immediately left the room and slammed the door behind them. Literally.
As I attempted to calm my kids who are now both crying because "the nurses seem really mad at us," the ME pops her head back in and says "Sorry about the door. It just slipped."
Okay, sure.
A couple minutes later the doctor returned, proceeded to guilt my son for his phobia, and had the nurse come back in so he could "apologize properly." I went along with this, thinking we could show him that the nurse was okay (he was still apologizing repeatedly for "hitting and fighting back") and that we could chat about needle-phobias and how to handle it better in the future. Instead, the doc awkwardly demanded "a better apology" from my son and gave him a short lecture on "being old enough" and "controlling himself" while the nurse and I shared confused looks. Thankfully, the nurse DID try to reassure him, "it's okay buddy, it happens... we just have to try harder to remind ourselves of that when we're scared."
After the nurse left, the doctor began to ask me a bunch of neurodivergence diagnostic questions INFRONT of my VERY upset 10 year old AND his sibling. He immediately picked up on her inferences and became defensive. I tried to redirect the conversation, reminding her that I had concerns I was hoping to address privately. I told her I had recently been diagnosed with ADHD myself, so I'm new to this side of assessment and care for my kids, and she responded with confusion and shaming.
I ended the appointment there and left in a bit of a confused haze. We never even got the chance to have the standard appointment discussion (height, weight, percentiles, etc), because the doc launched straight into the neurodivergence questions and never circled back.
It is difficult for me to even process the level of unprofessionalism I experienced in this short visit, but I will NEVER return here. I feel fortunate we did not hurt him when forcing the shot, but am livid that they didn't even mention alternate ways to administer the flu vaccine (an RN friend told me about the nasal cannula option after I shared my experience.)
My decision was reinforced when I received a call from the pediatric office a week later informing me that "you are no longer welcome back because it is a safety concern." When I asked them to articulate whose safety they were concerned for - the child or the adult medical professional - the woman on the phone got defensive and began to berate me and condescend, telling me they have to "protect themselves."
When I asked what they were doing to safely manage other children with needle phobias, I was told "you're lucky we are even informing you. This is a professional courtesy we didn't have to extend. We could have just sent you the official letter with no phone call."
Then the phone call devolved as I said "we will NOT be returning to your office" and she kept reiterating, "well, you're not allowed in the building".... like some kind of I-broke-up-with-you-first argument. It was like arguing with an angry teenager. Apparently I was supposed to be both apologetic and grateful that they were letting me know they cannot do their job safely.
It is heartbreaking for me to read these other glowing reviews and be a voice of dissent. Maybe I had my expectations set too high, but I cannot get over the poor communication and lack of consideration for an overwhelmed 10 year old at a PEDIATRIC office. My kid was shamed by multiple medical 'professionals' for his phobia (my ADULT husband has the same phobia and is somehow treated with dignity when he requires injections.) To say nothing of the not-so-subtle shaming I received for admitting ignorance and seeking guidance regarding neurodivergence.
If you have a sensitive kiddo with any sort of medical care hesitation, or you are a parent looking for guilt-free guidance on a medical sub read more