A patient of Ingrid Bermudez isn’t just a patient, they’re family.
I’m very open-minded, I’m not afraid to try new things, I’m not afraid to hug, to listen, to take my time, said Bermudez, who runs Family Medicine of Mechanicville. `I do what family medicine is supposed to be doing getting to know the whole family. That’s what makes the difference.`
Bermudez’s approach to family medicine has not gone unnoticed. She was recently one of only a handful of physicians across the nation (and the only one from New York state) to be honored by the American Academy of Family Physicians and presented with a 2011 Pfizer Teacher Development Award for her dedication to her practice and part-time teaching of family medicine with the Ellis Family Medicine Residency Program.
`Pfizer Teacher Development Awards spotlight the best of our profession: those in active practice who give of themselves to teach, mentor and inspire residents and students. Tomorrow’s family doctors and their patients will be better because of their efforts,` said Richard G. Roberts, MD, JD, AAFP Foundation President. `My congratulations to Dr. Bermudez and my thanks to Pfizer for preserving the noble tradition of the clinician-teacher.`
Bermudez doesn’t think her practice is particularly extraordinary because in her eyes, she’s just practicing medicine the way it should be practiced. That mindset is why she didn’t fully realize she was even a candidate for this Pfizer award.
`I just did it, just in case, but I didn’t think it would happen,` said Bermudez. `I was in disbelief when I found out It’s great for me, great for my patients. You can imagine the response. I’ve been getting flowers, calls, people say they’re so proud.`
The way Bermudez arrived in the medical field played a large part in her approach to care. She grew up in Colombia where the medical world is different.
`It makes a difference coming from a different culture where we are more close to the patients, more into talking and hugging and more familiar, very personal,` said Bermudez. `I do a very customized medicine. One thing is what you learn in school, one thing is what you learn in life and what you learn is everybody is different, every mind is different. Every patient that comes into the room may have the same symptoms but the treatment may be different because it’s a different person.`
That culture that cultivated her care, though, almost held her back. But she didn’t let it.
`Medicine at that time was for men. My dad didn’t want me to go to medical school, my grandparents were very upset because I was wearing pants and going to medical school,` said Bermudez.
She defied the social norms and graduated from Escuela de Medicina Juan N. Corpas with a medical degree, practicing family and emergency medicine in Colombia until moving to the U. S. in 1998, met her husband online and became certified to practice here.
`I just like medicine. I like science. Once I went to medical school it was very challenging and I like a challenge,` said Bermudez. `I guess that’s why I was here to be challenged when you’re not an American.`
Before opening her own practice in 2009, Bermudez graduated from Ellis Family Medicine Residency Program. Now, she teaches residents of the program and tries to instill the excitement and passion she has for family medicine.
`I think family medicine is everything. Like I tell my residents and students, every time you open a door it’s new, a new challenge. You don’t get bored in family medicine,` said Bermudez.
Her practice is an ideal place for students to grow and learn, said Bermudez.
`Residents love to come to my office. I bring the youngest dog in my house, so the patients know the go; my daughter’s in and out. It’s a very family-oriented practice and I think that’s attractive,` said Bermudez. `It’s not a typical one.`
Her 1,200 or so patients seem to agree with her. Karry Harpe-Pabon and her family has been going to Bermudez for medical care for six years.
`You’re not just a number or file. She genuinely cares, thinks outside of the box and is not very quick to prescribe an antibiotic every time she sees you,` said Harpe-Pabon. `She cares about your whole being, not just your physical ailments but everything else that’s going on.`
Harpe-Pabon, of Mechanicville, and her husband both have Bermudez as a doctor, as well as their three sons (16, 14 and 6) and Harpe-Pabon’s two sister and their kids.
`She reminds me of the old fashioned doctors that when you would run into them at a store they would remember you and remember what they saw you for,` said Harpe-Pabon. `She even brought some fruit to the house at Thanksgiving one time. She’s somebody you not only consider a doctor but a family friend.`
Bermudez is pleased with and proud of her success but said she doesn’t want to get too big.
`I have to be careful. I don’t want to grow too much because I wont be able to spend the time I like and enjoy with my patients,` said Bermudez.
The Pfizer Teacher Development Award will provide funding for Bermudez to attend an activity of choice to further her professional development and teaching skills.
For more information about Bermudez and Family Medicine of Mechanicville, visit www.drbfamilymedicine.com.
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