When it came time to think about career choices, Robyn Frederick had many influences. As the third and youngest daughter of Dodge and Diana Frederick, she considered following her fathers path as an FBI agent but was also drawn to athletics. She had grown up playing sports, including soccer starting at age 5, and learning dance with her sisters, Heather and Holly, in their moms studio. A self-described science nerd, Robyn also knew early on that she had an aptitude for science.
It was during her senior year in high school, when she broke her collarbone playing soccer, that some of those influences began to merge. Considering her hopes to play collegiate soccer, the excellent quality of care she received was critical to her recovery. This experience left a lasting impression on the would-be doctor that made all the difference in the pursuit of her dreams.
After two surgeries, metal plates, and a long recuperation, I was totally amazed at what the doctors had been able to do for me, Robyn recalls. This experience led her to consider a career in orthopedics or sports medicine because she liked the idea of helping people stay physically active, as her doctors had done for her. If she would become a doctor, she thought, this would definitely have to be part of her practice.
Robyns choice of undergraduate schools Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC was also a factor of family influences and personal goals. Her father and older sister are PC alums and the school further enticed her with both athletic and academic scholarships.
From the time she visited her sister on campus when she was in sixth grade, Robyn felt at home at PC. It was small and friendly, and my sister told me I would make more and better friends there than at a larger college, she says. Later, as a student, I found that to be true.
At PC, Robyn not only excelled in her premed studies but also played center midfield on the womens soccer team, which won the South Atlantic Conference a few times and made it to the national tournament her sophomore year. After graduating from PC magna cum laude in 2002, Robyn enrolled at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston not yet certain which medical specialty she would pursue.
During her clinical rotations, she found something she liked about each specialty, but her first interest in family medicine was more for gastronomic than medical reasons. Genuine interest came with her family medicine rotation, which offered ongoing primary care for patients.
Her rotation with Dr. Hugh Morgan, a family physician in rural Johnston, SC, was exactly what she had hoped. The type of care he provided was varied and he really knew his patients, she said. I liked seeing the ease and good relationship he had with them and how comfortable they were with him. To her pleasure, it was something that carried over into her personal experience with patients: Over the course of my rotation in family medicine, I saw many patients more than once and I loved the continuity of care and getting to know them better.
While Robyn was busy preparing to become a doctor, a circumstantial friendship was blossoming into romance. During their first semester of medical school, Robyn met David Fallaw when they were assigned to be gross anatomy lab partners. This partnership led to a close friendship, dating, and eventually a serious relationship. As they approached the end of their medical education, they realized they had found in each other their life mates.
On the academic front, Match Day, when fourth-year medical students find out where they will do their residencies, was fast approaching. Although Robyn and David had chosen different specialties ― family medicine and internal medicine, respectively ―they had two common goals for their residencies: being together and being near their families in Lexington, Aiken/Batesburg, and Columbia, SC. With Augusta as the obvious choice for the final leg of their medical education, they registered for couples match and were soon thrilled to learn they would both be at MCG. Following graduation from MUSC in 2006, Robyn and David settled in Aiken for their three years at MCG.
During her final year of residency, the couples relationship took an official turn. On the weekend after Valentines Day, Robyn and her friends were spending a couple of days together in Charleston. David, who had told her he would be in Aiken, had asked that she take something to a friend while she was there. As she approached The Battery where she was supposed to meet him on that cool Saturday afternoon, she was surprised and a little confused when, instead of their friend, she saw David waiting with the couples two Boykin spaniels . . . that is, until she spotted the beautiful diamond ring tied to Luckys collar. For someone who is not easily caught off guard, it was a perfect surprise. They plan to be married in May.
With the end of her residency on the horizon, Dr. Frederick had begun seriously considering where to begin her practice. I knew I wanted to be in a group, she says, preferably one that offered electronic medical records, administrative support for the business side of medicine so she could focus on patient care, and teaching opportunities that didnt require her to practice at an academic center. Dr. Frederick was already familiar with Center For Primary Care, having visited CPC with some of her fellow residents in her second year of medical school. She had been impressed with the quality of patient care, camaraderie among physicians and staff, the administrative support, and the variety of care available at the five offices. So, when she was offered a job at CPC-North Augusta, she knew she had found her practice home. Dr. Frederick started seeing patients at CPC in September 2009.
CPC is a great working environment and my patients have been very welcoming and friendly, she says. I really look forward to building a good practice here ― one that includes young athletes and allows me to care for families as they grow.
Although starting a practice can be all-consuming, Dr. Frederick makes time to do the things she enjoys outside work ― spending time with her fianc, walking their dogs, doing yard work, visiting her parents and sisters, spending time at Lake Murray on the familys pontoon boat, and planning the couples spring wedding. Among her goals are joining an adult soccer league and establishing balance between work and home life in anticipation of starting a family.
Dr. Frederick has always believed that the best medical care is the product of a healthy partnership between patient and doctor. At CPC, she has found a practice home with supportive colleagues and wonderful patients where those partnerships can and will flourish. Welcome to CPC and to our community, Dr. Frederick!