Dr. Ericka Walker Williams '95
Q: What challenges have you faced working during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Q: How has your work changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: I am a Primary Care provider in an outpatient setting. I belong to a community health program that provides healthcare to vulnerable populations. We are a safety net for our patients. They are used to walking in and having not only their medical needs met but their social, behavioral health/mental health and pharmacy. We have gone primarily to telehealth to minimize interactions, and thus, COVID spread, but it means patients are not as readily able to access additional services. We have had to become creative in how we handle these things during the pandemic.
Q: What successes have you celebrated during the coronavirus pandemic?
A: I had a quarantine birthday! I turned 43 am grateful for another year of health. I celebrate each and every person on my healthcare team. They are AWESOME! I could not do it alone. I celebrate each of my patients who were diagnosed with COVID 19 and have recovered!
Q: What has been your most challenging moment working in healthcare?
A: For me, the most challenging aspect of working in medicine is work-life balance. Being a wife, mom of three, and full-time physician is a definite balancing act. Most of my life events have had to be carefully planned and/or staggered around my training. I married my husband of 13 years, between an intern year and the second year of residency. My daughter, Ava, was born just following the conclusion of my residency before I accepted an Attending position at USC. My son, Marvin, Jr., was born following Fellowship in Dallas. I was lucky that things went as planned.
Q: What has been your proudest moment working in healthcare?
A: Just hearing my patients say, “Thank You,” makes me proud.
Q: When and how did you decide to pursue a career in healthcare?
A: As a child, I always knew I wanted to be a physician. I wanted to walk in my father’s footsteps. His road, however, was not easy. He grew up in Birmingham during the segregation era and had to overcome so many obstacles to get where he is today. He helped to integrate one of his schools and ultimately went on to become one of the first African-American Otolaryngologists in the state of Alabama. He instilled in me hard work and determination that fostered who I am today in medicine.
Q: How did your experience at Springs shape your career choice?
A: Through my experience at Indian Springs, I learned autonomy and critical thinking. These have proven invaluable along my trek.
Q: What advice would you give Springs students who want to pursue a career in healthcare?
A: We are on the cusp of an evolution in healthcare that will most assuredly change the landscape of medicine. This was occurring prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I believe it will be accelerated because of the recent pandemic happenings. This has exposed weaknesses in our society that cannot be ignored. Remember, we are only as strong as our weakest brother. Be sure your intentions are pure in wanting to pursue a career in healthcare because only those intentions will sustain you through the difficult times, possibly even future pandemics.
Q: What can the Springs community do to help during this pandemic?
A: Volunteer your time. Do something for someone in need. Donate money if you are able. Support your local food banks. Adopt a senior citizen. Just meet people where they are in their need. Have an attitude of gratitude and give back. By doing so, you will be equally blessed!
Back
A: Currently, I practice Internal Medicine in an underserved area in Dallas, Texas. I provide Primary Care to uninsured and underinsured residents of Dallas County. The zip code in which my clinic is located (75217) is classified as a food desert, and health disparities are in abundance. It is this same population that has been hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic. Multiple generations living under one roof, many laid off. Those who are working as essential workers are on the front line and are at high risk. To continue to meet the basic needs and provide healthcare to such a vulnerable population has been difficult. Another challenge I faced was a personal one. Balancing my work responsibility and duty as a physician with that of the safety of my family left me juxtaposed to two worlds. As a wife, mother of three, and a Primary Care Provider, I have struggled to balance care for my patients with keeping my family safe. Each day I come home, and just as other providers have shared, I strip down in the garage, immediately go shower. Explaining to my children as I hurry by why they can’t hug mommy just yet. That has been hard. It tugs on your heart day after day, and you pay an emotional price.
Q: How has your work changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: I am a Primary Care provider in an outpatient setting. I belong to a community health program that provides healthcare to vulnerable populations. We are a safety net for our patients. They are used to walking in and having not only their medical needs met but their social, behavioral health/mental health and pharmacy. We have gone primarily to telehealth to minimize interactions, and thus, COVID spread, but it means patients are not as readily able to access additional services. We have had to become creative in how we handle these things during the pandemic.
Q: What successes have you celebrated during the coronavirus pandemic?
A: I had a quarantine birthday! I turned 43 am grateful for another year of health. I celebrate each and every person on my healthcare team. They are AWESOME! I could not do it alone. I celebrate each of my patients who were diagnosed with COVID 19 and have recovered!
Q: What has been your most challenging moment working in healthcare?
A: For me, the most challenging aspect of working in medicine is work-life balance. Being a wife, mom of three, and full-time physician is a definite balancing act. Most of my life events have had to be carefully planned and/or staggered around my training. I married my husband of 13 years, between an intern year and the second year of residency. My daughter, Ava, was born just following the conclusion of my residency before I accepted an Attending position at USC. My son, Marvin, Jr., was born following Fellowship in Dallas. I was lucky that things went as planned.
Q: What has been your proudest moment working in healthcare?
A: Just hearing my patients say, “Thank You,” makes me proud.
Q: When and how did you decide to pursue a career in healthcare?
A: As a child, I always knew I wanted to be a physician. I wanted to walk in my father’s footsteps. His road, however, was not easy. He grew up in Birmingham during the segregation era and had to overcome so many obstacles to get where he is today. He helped to integrate one of his schools and ultimately went on to become one of the first African-American Otolaryngologists in the state of Alabama. He instilled in me hard work and determination that fostered who I am today in medicine.
Q: How did your experience at Springs shape your career choice?
A: Through my experience at Indian Springs, I learned autonomy and critical thinking. These have proven invaluable along my trek.
Q: What advice would you give Springs students who want to pursue a career in healthcare?
A: We are on the cusp of an evolution in healthcare that will most assuredly change the landscape of medicine. This was occurring prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I believe it will be accelerated because of the recent pandemic happenings. This has exposed weaknesses in our society that cannot be ignored. Remember, we are only as strong as our weakest brother. Be sure your intentions are pure in wanting to pursue a career in healthcare because only those intentions will sustain you through the difficult times, possibly even future pandemics.
Q: What can the Springs community do to help during this pandemic?
A: Volunteer your time. Do something for someone in need. Donate money if you are able. Support your local food banks. Adopt a senior citizen. Just meet people where they are in their need. Have an attitude of gratitude and give back. By doing so, you will be equally blessed!
190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, Alabama 35124
Phone: 205.988.3350
Indian Springs School, an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.
© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.
© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.