Having lived on Anna Maria Island more than ten years, I’d say that I’ve met some of the very best doctors we’ve ever had here. Unfortunately, I’ve also met one or two of the very worst. Before I moved to Florida I heard the doctors here were poor. The prospect of trying to find good doctors in a place where we knew nobody, and where the reputation of doctors was not good, was daunting.
Before leaving our previous home to move to Anna Maria Island, I asked a doctor there, who was highly regarded, whether he thought board certification is important. His answer was that the certification does not make a doctor good. But for any doctor who is bright and knows what he or she is doing, it’s not very difficult to be board certified, and so if a doctor isn’t, one has to wonder why not.
Many, many times, in my search for good doctors in the Bradenton area, I have wondered why so many are not board certified. I have been surprised, even when doctors are highly recommended to me, to find they are not board certified. This concerns me. My previous doctor’s words stay with me and they make a lot of sense.
Fortunately, there is one area of medicine in which I feel very confident that there are some outstanding doctors: ophthalmology. In particular, Dr. Dana Weinkle has demonstrated his competence, ethics and kindness in a variety of ways in the ten years he has taken care of my eyes.
His competence starts with his top-notch education, which took place at Princeton, Harvard and Stanford. It’s also obvious in the way his office is run. From the person to answers the phone to the person who checks you out, everyone seems very well informed and expert at giving the patient the best possible eye care. An air of professionalism mixes with friendliness at this office. When emergencies arise, there is someone knowledgeable to speak with and, if necessary, the opportunity to go see the doctor immediately.
One has to spend time sitting in an ophthalmologist’s office, when the pupils are dilated. During such times, one gets a sense of how the doctor interacts with other patients. In Dr. Weinkle’s office, it’s obvious how much his patients like him and how much he cares about them, both professionally and personally. When you get into his chair, you know you will get the very best possible care for your eyes.
