The nurse working with Dr. Clemow, in our opinion, was not welcoming or comforting at all. My daughter was extremely scared and anxious throughout the entire experience, yet no one made any effort to help put her at ease.
There was no small talk, no reassurance, no attempt to distract her from the unfamiliar environment or what was about to happen. A few kind words, explaining each step, or simply acknowledging how nervous she was could have made a tremendous difference. Instead, the room felt cold and silent.
In fact, my daughter was the one who tried to start a conversation before going under anesthesia because she was so nervous. Even then, the staff barely engaged with her and did not seem concerned when she expressed how frightened she was. As a parent, that was heartbreaking to hear.
The procedure itself went well, but bedside manner matters—especially when caring for anxious teenagers. Compassion and reassurance are just as important as clinical skill. Unfortunately, we felt that effort was completely lacking during our experience.
If you are the parent of a teen and are looking for a practice where your child will be treated with warmth, kindness, and genuine compassion, I would not recommend this office based on our experience. The nurse asked about three different times if we knew we had to pay upfront. Yes we knew, yes we paid the receptionist when we registered before the surgery. I’m still trying to understand why she was more concerned about that than my daughter.