Doctors' Offices Experience Back-to-School Rush

“I usually refer to this season as ‘my dog ate my school form.’ ” 

That’s how Dr. Greg Savel from Myrtle Avenue Pediatrics in Clearwater describes the two weeks leading up to the beginning of a new school year.

With vacations, summer camps and other distractions, Savel said, many parents wait until the last few days before scheduling checkups for their children. 

Sharon Fekete, Myrtle Avenue’s manager, said it’s not always the parents’ fault.

“The school has a lot to do with it. A letter is always what is igniting our parents to call in and panic,” she said. Often the schools send out letters to remind parents about required shots for seventh grade. Fekete said immunization requirements can change from year to year, as well. 

Still, the last-minute rush is a constant that all four doctors and employees at the office can count on.  

“Every year, (from) the last week of July normally up until the first day of school ... we have full staff,” Fekete said. “We call in extra staff members, actually, into both offices."  

Myrtle Avenue Pediatrics also has an Oldsmar location. 

Fekete said Aug. 12 was “the perfect example” with 60 patients on the schedule, not counting sick calls. That means 100 to 120 patients were seen in one day in the Clearwater office. On a regular day, the office sees 80 patients.

But preparation helps the staff get through the day without having to schedule extra hours. 

“Nobody’s allowed to take any vacation – me, the doctors, all of the staff – until checkup season is over, and it does happen every year,” Fekete said. 

This year, the practice, which logs 35,000 patient visits per year, tried something new to motivate parents to avoid procrastinating.

“We got a call center to call our families that required the 12-year-old checkup,” Fekete said. 

Savel cautions parents about trying a shortcut. He said having a physical done at a drugstore just isn’t adequate. “It’s always good to come to your pediatrician and not rely on someone else for your checkups,” Savel said.

Despite the pressures of back-to-school season, the staff members try to look on the bright side. 

“You have to have a sense of humor this time of year because during the beginning of summer the office is always empty. It’s dead,” Savel said. “Tumbleweeds are rolling through. We have so many open slots for checkups.”

And employees will have something to smile about soon.

“We have a party at the end ... a back-to-school party. Every year, we do something different,” Fekete said. “It’s a surprise this year. They’re all going to get an extra day off.”

Visit Myrtle Avenue Pediatrics' website for references on checkups and relevant health information: www.happykidsmd.com.