Carithers Pediatric Group

I read these review and by in large they are positive. What I did not find helpful was Pam74. My advice to Pam74, growup and shut up woman. If you don't like a service, then change dummy. Only losers blog and post about businesses if they are not happy. Obviously Pam74 you are a lying woman because if you are spending this time to blog, then the time could been used more wisely to find a new doctor like you say. You are probably on medicaid and a loser and sitting at home on government handouts. Shame on you. You are a failure and a loser Pam74. more

My husband grew up as a Carithers patient, and we've used them for our own kids for 9 yrs. We love ALL the docs!! more

I use the Riverside office and I am very pleased with their service. I understand the value of COMPLETE care for a well or a sick child. I have never waited longer than 30 minutes to see a NP or a MD....even during an unscheduled urgent walk-in. We were always greeted with a smile, even if one of the front desk clerks were on the phone with other paitents. Although I would rather see one MD or NP, I still find the service excellent with any of the staff. The quality of care is outstanding and all of my questions were thoroughly answered. We were always treated well and my children's fears were eased when the nurses had to administer shots. I applaude the entire Riverside office staff, NP's, MD's, and everyone else for a job well done! And I look forward to any visit in the future!! more

I am thoroughly disgusted with this practice. I don't know where to start. Let's see: First- Why would pediatricians not have separate sick and well waiting areas? Second- When you arrive on time, why should you have to wait for 1 hour outside and 30 minutes inside while your baby acts crazy since she knows a shot is coming? Third- Can't they afford AC? The exam rooms are about 80 degrees. Fourth- Why can't they tell you what vaccines your child is due for rather than asking the mother ""Why are you here today?"" Fifth- Why is it next to impossible to get a visit with a doctor, and why do the front desk staff tell you a nurse is the same as a doctor???"" Last- Why can't they EVER answer a phone? I have been using this practice for 1 year and only because I have not had time to research getting a new doctor since I work 50 hours a week. I have tried all day to set up a well check-up and haven't been successful. In one year of calling this office for appts., no one has EVER answered the phone. Also want to mention that if you decide to use this practice please document all vaccines on your own. I found the nurses recording the wrong vaccines on my daughter's chart right after they administered them! Make sure you look at all the needles before they inject anything and then check that they are entering the correct meds in their computer. more

My daughter is almost 3 months old. We have visited Carithers for 3 well child checks and 2 sick kid visits. We have waited and waited for each appointment. The last 5 visits we waited for over 2 hours. I have yet to have a good visit with them. Different doctors each time. Several of the doctors were very condescending. And I have yet to have a positive experience with the office staff. When I called to ask the nurses about my daughters fever it took them 2 hours to call back. I was told not to worry about it she was probably teething. I called the next day after the fever hit 102 (it got higher). Again, it took them two hours to call me back. (I called during office hours early). We saw one dr. yesterday and a different one today. After seeing the dr. yesterday (we have yet to see the same dr. twice) I was told that I would be called today to see how she was doing. She has a urinary tract infection. I didn't get a call and had to call them after giving her the first oral dose of antibiotics which she promptly threw up. Again, a long wait for a return call...over two hours. The nurse was huffy and told me that the dr. I had seen had probably left for the day. I chose Carithers because my friends and family like them. I most certainly haven't had the same experience. more

I can't say enough good things about the Carithers Group. The doctors and NPs instill confidence and treat children as human beings -- they don't have the ""next"" mentality. Doctors are available on weekends and holidays for urgent care appointments as well as being on-call 24 hrs a day/7 days a week. The on-call doctor usually responds in less than 20 minutes. It is so much better for the child to have doctors who can access their medical history and treat accordingly -- even on weekends! Their website is also very helpful. I highly recommend this group to anyone who has children. more

I am an RN and have been in healthcare, in varying capacities, for almost 20 years; that said, I have been very pleased with the quality of care we received at Carithers the last 8 years. Although I prefer certain providers, I trust the judgment each one that I have seen (which between two children, in an 8 year period, includes nearly all of them). We have seen MDs and NPs and have equally wonderful experiences with both. I probably dismiss lengthy waiting periods because I know the quality of care that you get. I also understand that providing healthcare means you are constantly faced with unexpected, complicated and time-consuming situations. I know what it is like to sit in the waiting room with a sick child and to feel like the staff are not welcoming or attentive - I also know the other side of trying to provide quality care for more routine patients while still caring for someone who is acutely ill. When I consider my experiences in healthcare I find that the Carithers group does an exceptional job of managing their patients. *For anyone wondering, I am not, nor have I ever been employed with or affiliated Carithers - my opinions are based solely on my experiences there. more

The Carithers Pediatric Group nurse practitioners are wonderful! Today my son saw one of the ARNP's for an ear infection. Her bedside manner was wonderful. She took her time which made both of us feel very comfortable. Normally we see Dr. Connolly but he was at the other office today so Katie, one of ARNP's, was available. I will be going back to see her!!! I highly recommend seeing one of the groups ARNP's if you can. The ARNP's can do everything the doctor can do including writing prescriptions. The ARNP's also go to the doctors for advice if they have questions about a patient. This group is great and their new southside office in the Center One building is beautiful. Pros: Extremely friendly, helpful and full of knowledge Cons: Busy at times more

My son has been with this group for the majority of his life at the Park St location. He is most of time seen by the same doctor. If his doctor was not available other comparable doctors were. It is sometimes uneasy that feeling at first or the experience is not quite the same however each doctor is well qualified. Each doctor has their own personality as such as everyone in this world. All of them provide a professional service and the staff is more than courteous. My son experienced ODD symptoms at a young age and the care provided with back door service was comforting. They have always worked us in whenever he had fallen ill and gave multiple suggestions for his at home care. They are considerate in dealing with upset and confused parents and sometimes call to check on the child's progress. Pros: Courteous, Informative,Considerate and Updated...... Cons: Busy at times..... more

I too experience super long waits that are not excusable. Any good manager and marketing person knows this. I can only get a Doctor to see my child if I request it, otherwise they always try to give me a nurse. I pay top dollars for the insurance and expect to see a Doctor not a nurse. The staff is not friendly and at times cold to the parents and children. I think that their staff and management needs some serious customer service training and the Doctors need to get a bit more involved with their office procedures as it is obvious that I am just a co-pay. Don't expect any sympathy from the nurses when giving your child vaccinations. Pros: Close to home Cons: customer service more

I've never gotten bad advice from any of the doctors. All of them - especially the women - are warm and caring. They spend ample time with the child during well check-ups. I've never been brushed off and if I want to bring my child in for a sick appointment, they've always found a time for me. The unfortunate business of their waiting room is a testament to how popular this group is. Also - if your child is ever in the hospital - the doctors will visit at least once a day even though they're under the care of the hospital doctors. Not all practices do this. Pros: always return calls, give solid advice Cons: busy office and waiting room more

Unless you are another doctor in Jacksonville, if you are an intelligent adult do not go here. The doctors are incredibly condescending and tend to not let you in on what they are thinking. They oversimplify their explanations to the parents treating you like an idiot. The wait time is inexcusable. Two visits in two weeks that were each 90 minute waits-sick infant in tow. The office staff shrugged and said that is very normal for afternoon visits. According to the staff some doctors in the practice get so far behind due to hospital visits and some always have longer visits, but they don't plan accordingly and still schedule the same number of patients for the slower doctors as the faster ones. They said that if a child gets worked in for a new illness, it affects the schedule. Is it not possible to estimate the number of last minute sick child visits and build in buffers? Also even though they get so slammed they continue to hold their ""new parent"" sessions where they are basically marketing to potential new patients trying to get your business. The marketing was great but it was not an accurate representation of the way you will be treated in an actual visit. It is obvious that they are more interested in building up clientele numbers to make more money than to treat their patients fairly and respect their time. They used an online Rx generator that was supposed to go straight to the pharmacy. That did not work and wasted 2 total hours at 2 different pharmacies trying to get it worked out. They have a policy of having the on-call doctor call you within 20 minutes of a page-it took 2 pages and 45 minutes for a return call. Read on if you are interested in spreading out immunizations... If you choose to spread out immunizations they talk negatively about you in the hall even though they said they advertise that they are supportive of spreading out shots. Very unprofessional. more