Edward Carey, MD
Edward Carey, MD meant to emulate his father, John L. Carey, MD, an old-fashioned family physician who died when his son was 13.
“I knew people respected my Dad and I was in awe of him. My mother encouraged me, my sister and my brother to follow in his footsteps and we all became doctors,” he said.
After graduating from King’s College, Dr. Carey initially chose law as a career, receiving a JD from Catholic University. However, he soon felt a call to do as his father did and take care of families. He attended medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he picked up enough Spanish to be conversational in the language, though he hesitates to say he is “fluent.”
In 1978 he began his family practice at 920 Wyoming Ave. in Forty Fort, in a building that was once a movie theater. Joining him in the practice were his brother, John and Richard English, MD.
“When I first started, I made house calls, delivered babies and I really liked taking care of people,” Dr. Carey said. “I’ve seen three generations. I’ve treated the kids of kids I delivered; it’s really something.”
Modern times have wrought some changes in Dr. Carey’s practice. His brother joined a larger group in Luzerne County and Dr. English is now in academia. Dr. Carey said, however, “Some things never change with family practice, the relationships are still the same.” He enjoys teaching, he said, because students have a way of reminding him about the fundamentals. “They’ll ask me why I do what I do and then we both go to the books.” In addition, he derives satisfaction from positively influencing future doctors.
“I teach my students that an effective family doctor handles all kinds of problems – social, emotional, as well as physical,” he said.
He says a family doctor can achieve a level of intimacy that’s almost like being a member of the patient’s family. To explain, he mentioned his friendly cockapoo, Scooby, who gets to roam the office. “He’ll run into a room where a kid is crying and instantly they stop. They all want to steal him. That’s why you go into family practice. I think my students see that. My excitement is contagious.”
“I knew people respected my Dad and I was in awe of him. My mother encouraged me, my sister and my brother to follow in his footsteps and we all became doctors,” he said.
After graduating from King’s College, Dr. Carey initially chose law as a career, receiving a JD from Catholic University. However, he soon felt a call to do as his father did and take care of families. He attended medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he picked up enough Spanish to be conversational in the language, though he hesitates to say he is “fluent.”
In 1978 he began his family practice at 920 Wyoming Ave. in Forty Fort, in a building that was once a movie theater. Joining him in the practice were his brother, John and Richard English, MD.
“When I first started, I made house calls, delivered babies and I really liked taking care of people,” Dr. Carey said. “I’ve seen three generations. I’ve treated the kids of kids I delivered; it’s really something.”
Modern times have wrought some changes in Dr. Carey’s practice. His brother joined a larger group in Luzerne County and Dr. English is now in academia. Dr. Carey said, however, “Some things never change with family practice, the relationships are still the same.” He enjoys teaching, he said, because students have a way of reminding him about the fundamentals. “They’ll ask me why I do what I do and then we both go to the books.” In addition, he derives satisfaction from positively influencing future doctors.
“I teach my students that an effective family doctor handles all kinds of problems – social, emotional, as well as physical,” he said.
He says a family doctor can achieve a level of intimacy that’s almost like being a member of the patient’s family. To explain, he mentioned his friendly cockapoo, Scooby, who gets to roam the office. “He’ll run into a room where a kid is crying and instantly they stop. They all want to steal him. That’s why you go into family practice. I think my students see that. My excitement is contagious.”
