You know what no one ever told me about motherhood? Oh, they warned me about the sleepless nights. They couldn’t wait to share how much money I’d have to spend on my child, and how broke I’d be.

I received more advice and tips about being a mom than I have about any other topic, but not one time did anyone warn me that I’d spend half of my life trying to schedule doctor’s appointments for my daughter.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but not much. Starting with her newborn checkups when she was days old up to school physicals, emergency visits, and wellness checks, I have spent hours and hours working to get Ayva in to see doctors.

If I find a day that works, the doctor is all booked up.

When there’s a date available, the timing requires me to take time off of work, or pull Ayva out of school. What’s the point in spending all of this money on insurance if seeing a doctor is such a hassle?

Last year, frustrated by scheduling doctor’s appointments for myself, I made the choice to become a member of One Medical.

What is One Medical

One Medical is a network of primary care health clinics located all over the country. 

They provide a concierge experience, which I appreciate both as a mom and as someone who has ADHD. 

Basically, you download the One Medical app and manage all of your health needs including making appointments, organizing documents, chatting with doctors and more.

Some of the incredible services they offer are:

• Same or next day appointments
• Drop-in lab services
• Video or in-person appointments
• General care AND mental, pre-natal (in SF), and preventative care
• 125+ locations all over the country

How Do One Medical Appointments Work

After a few months of access to amazing doctors, same day appointments, and the ability to manage my entire wellness experience entirely online (!!!), I came to my senses and signed up my daughter, too. 

Good thing I did, because within days of my daughter becoming a member of One Medical, she started having stomach pains right before the start of a holiday weekend.

I went online to see if I could get a same day appointment at the Oakland, California branch that’s right up the street from our house.

It was almost the end of the day, and the clinic was going to close in 2 hours, so I wasn’t surprised when the website showed that there were no appointments available.

Here’s how One Medical is different from other doctor’s offices, though.

They instruct you to call the office if you don’t see an appointment available at the time you need it. If they can get you in on that day, they will. 

I called the office, and my daughter and I were on our way to see her doctor, pediatrician Sarit Shtivelman.

Scheduling appointments at One medical

Appointments are easy at One Medical. You can schedule as much time as you need for whatever you’re being for. 

If you just have a quick question, then you might only need 15 minutes. If you need a complete checkup, you schedule 45 minutes.

Your appointment starts on time, and it’s completed on time. 

As a mom, this is a huge deal! If I spent half of my life scheduling doctor’s appointments, I’ve spent the other half waiting for the appointment to begin.

Sarit (the doctors go by their first names at One Medical) was just as friendly as I remembered her from the open house we’d met at a few weeks before.

Ayva gets pretty anxious any time we go to the doctor. Sarit made sure to let her know she didn’t have anything to worry about.

She directed her questions towards Ayva, which I appreciated. Who knows Ayva’s body better than Ayva?

It was such a small gesture, but one that spoke volumes to me about how much Sarit respects the children in her care.

She talked Ayva through each procedure, and let her know why she was doing each check up.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a doctor’s office with Ayva and the doctor had the time to be that gentle and thoughtful with her instead of rushing us out the door so the next appointment could start.

At the end of Ayva’s appointment, (She was fine, by the way. She just needs to increase her fiber intake.) we checked out in seconds and were on our way.

I was kicking myself for not signing her up sooner. Still, I was still brushing my shoulders off as we walked out the door.

Mom Level: Expert? Totally unlocked.

Want More Info About One Medical?

There are so many things to deal with as a mom. It seems like if it’s not one thing, it’s another.

Being members of One Medical gives us the opportunity to simplify at least one part of our lives.

If you ask me, it’s the most important part, too. Save time, money and energy with One Medical. Learn more on their website, Facebook, or Twitter.