Video Tour & Photo Gallery Below

It’s official. Kids across the Tampa bay area will be heading back to school in just one week. What’s a kid to do with these last few days of freedom? Just one look at USF Health Pediatrics tells the story. Most will be heading to the doctor.

“Oh yes! This is always our busiest time! I think we all go to sleep dreaming of the blue and yellow forms!” says Linda Nelson, ARNP, Assistant Director of Clinical Operations at the USF Health South Tampa Center. The “blue and yellow forms” she’s talking about are the annual Health Department forms listing a child’s immunizations.

No forms, no school. No exceptions.

It’s the same every year with most families squeezing their kid’s back-to-school physical exams into the last two weeks of summer vacation. USF pediatricians know the routine well. After all, the crew of specialists includes its fair share of moms & dads too. Since July 1st the pediatrics department has been working a sixth day to fit in as many kids as possible. From now until September 30th, they’re doing school physical exams on Saturdays, and yes, Holidays, from 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM. For working parents, the office opens as early as 8:00 AM weekdays and sees its last patient around 5:30 PM. No “lazy days of summer” here, but no one’s complaining.

“Well, I’m a parent too,” says Dr. Carmen Alfaro, smiling sheepishly. “A lot of us always wait for the last 2 weeks before school starts.” Dr. Alfaro is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Ambulatory Clinic at the USF Health South Tampa Center and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the USF College of Medicine. Visiting with her and the pediatrics team one afternoon, the office is quite the ‘happening’ place.

“I love working with kids,” says Alfaro. “When they come in, they recognize me and play with me. Sometimes they pull my hair a little or touch my glasses, but they’re smiling the whole time,” she says happily. “Then, when I leave the room they wave at me and give me a kiss! That makes me really happy!!”

It’s the kind of dedication that keeps patients coming back and new patients arriving. In May alone, the team of USF pediatricians saw close to 1,460 kids. June brought in another 1,394. While the official number of pediatric visits for July is still being tallied, the jump in patients is so significant they’re just 200 visits shy of reaching last year’s total of 18,000. With 5 months left in the year, the team is certain to set a new record in patient visits.
(From January 1 – June 30, 2008 = 17, 826 USF pediatric visits.)

“We have tried very much to make the schedule adaptable to working parents and early morning appointments,” says Nelson. “We’re starting about 30 – 45 minutes earlier in the morning. We have free valet parking so it’s easier for parents, particularly with young children. They’re not crossing busy streets. They’re in and out.” The supervisor of clinical operations for the entire facility, not just pediatrics, notes that once inside, families get the “one-stop-shopping” experience. “We have a pharmacy in the building. We can do shots, visits, whatever…We have an “immunization room” so that kids can have their immunizations quicker. We’re adapting our practice to what’s more appropriate to working parents as well as parents who are traveling long distances to see us.”

The Patient Experience…
Walking in to the exam room where 10 year old William Crawford and 7 year old Anthony White are sitting, Dr. Dan DesRochers is all smiles. “Hi. I’m ‘Dr. Dan’ You must be Antonio,” says the resident physician in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Turning to the boy’s older brother, he says “And you must be William,” extending his hand for a shake, “What grade are you starting?”

Sitting down at the computer desk with the boys’ immunization records on the display screen, he quickly scans the list of ‘shots’ while the boys check-out the squirrel embroidered on the doc’s white socks. “Okay guys, looks like you’ll need the chicken pox vaccination today,” he says, turning to mom Catherine White for the okay. “They’ve been eating all summer,” she says with a smile. “I’m ready for them to go back to school!”

Immunizations….
William and Anthony are just two of the many kids USF pediatricians saw on the day our cameras visited. The “blue and yellow forms” – proof of immunizations – were in practically every parent’s hand as they exited, even for parents with babies and pre-schoolers. Pre-kindergarten centers, preschools and day cares also require immunization records for incoming kids.

Required shots for students in grades Kindergarten – 12th include MMR, DTP and Hepatitis B. Children starting kindergarten must have two chicken pox vaccinations. “…and seventh graders will need the ‘T-dap’ this year,” says Dr. Alfaro. It’s quite the alphabet soup for most parents to keep up with. Luckily, the pediatrics team knows them all by heart.

Back in the shot room, Dr. Lynn Ringenberg is with William and Anthony as they end their doctor’s visit for the day. Mom treated the boys to I-Hop before coming, hoping to sweeten the deal. “It’s tradition for the older brother to go first, so hop on here,” says Ringenberg to William. “It is?” says the 10 year old, a little bummed. Seven-year old Tony is up next. “Aw!!!!……” says Tony, eyes & mouth springing wide open as nurse Bridgette Holloway sinks her skiny needle in his arm.

Afterwards, both boys mug for the camera showing off their bandaid-clad muscles – determined not to let a little chicken pox vaccine get in the way of being cool. It’s a moment that never gets old for Ringenberg – a pediatrician for 28 years.

“It’s hectic, but it’s fun because everybody is excited about going back to school. We stress to the families that we’ve got to get these shots in, but the truth is we’re here for these guys 24 – 7, not just for school physicals. We’re here all the time for the kids, including weekends and we need to make sure that our families know that,” says Ringenberg, Professor and Division Chief of General Pediatrics. “Any questions, CALL US. ‘Should I bring my child in? At what ages do they need what shots?’ Just call or come by and visit with us. We’re happy to answer questions anytime. We have an open access clinic so you can get in.” she says as she quickly heads off to see more kids.

No time to rest…tick tock, tick tock…the first day of school is almost here.

[flv]http://www.health.usf.edu/nocms/publicaffairs/now/FLV/Backtoschool.flv[/flv]

Video tour of Pediatrics @ USF Health South Tampa Center. Meet Mom Catherine White and her sons- 10 year old William and 7 year old Antonio.

[audio:http://health.usf.edu/nocms/publicaffairs/now/mp3/CarmenAlfaro.mp3]
USF Health en Español: Dr. Carmen Alfaro Interview

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications
Photo gallery by Eric Younghans / Video tour by Jean Rene Rinvil – USF Health Media Center

OTHER LINKS:
PHOTO GALLERY
Division of General Academic Pediatrics at USF Health
Vaccines & immunizations by age group – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Florida Dept. of Health – Immunization Guidelines Effective July 2008
Overview of all Pediatric Services at USF Health

BACK TO SCHOOL PHYSICALS – FOR a USF HEALTH PEDIATRICS’ LOCATIONS NEAR YOU:

USF Health South Tampa Center
2 A Columbia Drive, Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 259-8700
Mon – Friday Open 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Saturdays Open 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM

North Site
12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33612
(813) 974-2201
Call for clinic hours

Genesis Pediatric Clinic
5802 North 30th Street
Tampa, FL
(813) 236-5100
Call for clinic hours