Reviews of The Kidz Docs Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine (Doctor)

Dennis Marksbury

Although I like the doctors, they need to work on their business practices. Showed up with a sick child and they wouldn't see us because it was 930, walk in hours are only till 830... Yet there was no one there waiting... She just turned me away.

J P

I can't complain about anything specific. There are some doctors that we prefer over others, but that is just a preference in terms of who we mesh more with and have a better sense of communicating with me and my child. I have never had issues with professionalism. The front desk has always been engaging and the nurse care line has always been helpful. Sometimes I expect a little more advice wise but that is just me, but the doctors have always been kind, courteous, and made my children feel at ease. I love that we never wait long and I usually always get in for my appointments no later than next day and always same day for sick visits. I especially like that I am able to schedule well visits for both of my children at the same time. The nurses and doctors do a great job at coordinating that and working with both children at the same time, its very efficient! I only wish they helped in reminding patients of their next shots or wellness visits. You really have to be on top of that, and I admit I am not but even when I am passed do, they never make me feel guilty and are always accommodating. I also want to note that the new nurse practitioner, Kathleen Beckman, CPNP, was so wonderful. I really loved her energy and the way she interacted with all of us. She is a great addition to the practice.

Kristen Donohue

Kidz Docs was highly recommended by my neighbors and friends but I have not been very impressed by the service there. The docs are all very friendly and competent, but the super high volume of patients does not lend itself to the best medical practice. There are almost always long waits and the doctors spend minimal time with each patient. I was also annoyed at a missed followup call that was expected the next morning after my childs appointment (after both me and my husband called there leaving messages as reminders to call us). When I called back (again) at noon, I was informed that the office was closed for TWO HOURS for lunch. wow.

Alice Meehan

I have 2 daughters now 16 and 20 who have both been patients of Kidz docs since the day they were born. The care providers at Kidz Docs started with their compassion and expertise before we even left the hospital. 20 years later and we are sad to move on to a new practitioner for my oldest. Dr. Arnold and Dr. Shen are amazing and have raised children of their own so they know and appreciate what makes a parent concerned and anxious. They take care of the parents as much as they take care of the children. The front staff is always professional and patient and kind (not always the case in doctor's offices). Compassionate, thorough, professional. Kidz Docs is the best!

Millennial Momma

Just relocated to the Alexandria area and needed a pediatrician to update my 2 year olds shots. Absolutely hated the experience. First of all my child was called obese... When he doesn't even have a tummy! He's a picky eater and just getting him to have 1 square meal for the day is a challenge. Second, the pediatrician didn't even care to make friends with my child or have any association with the child for him to feel comfortable in her care. My husband and I were questioned, she briefly examined him and then left the room. His shots were administered by two nurses who basically came at him with injections on a count of three... Absolutely no way to approach a toddler with needles!!! The fear instilled within him from this experience is unhealthy and definitely unprofessional! it basically felt like an attack of needles, like how patients are restrained in mental wards to have their meds! Hate them 100%!!! They should never be able to be medical practioners especially with children! Don't go there! I can't stress it enough!

Zelda Shute

Outstanding Doctors and Staff! I have three children who have been beautifully cared for by the doctors at KIDZ Docs. These caring, personal-attention-giving doctors have helped us navigate Lyme disease, ADD, Sensory issues, speech therapy, Occupational therapy, appendicitis, ear tubes procedures, countless colds and viruses, and so much more over the years. We have always been able to get an appointment. Over the years, the nursing staff has talked us through numerous calls with random concerns and regularly set our minds at ease. In fact, a KIDZ Docs nurse was able to distinguish my daughter’s stomach virus symptoms as appendicitis by asking a few pointed questions by phone and then we were able to get her to the hospital quickly. Camp and school health forms have been a breeze over the years, too. Kidz Docs has the form routine down, and the staff knows how to get the paperwork done in a timely manner. Thank you, KIDZ Docs for the years of personal pediatric care!

Cara Wood

Worst visit ever. I was very disappointed with the Doctor's interaction with my child. She did not won't my child to touch her and told her to keep her germs to herself even though she did not have any cold, flu or symptoms of anything else except what she was there for. I was very offended by her actions toward my child and will not be using their service again. As a doctor if she did not want germs from kids then she is in the wrong profession. Her service does not even deserve one star.

Besian Shala

Staff is friendly and the doctors are great..

Candace Sledge

I just started going to Kidz Docs about 4 minths ago and Im happy! Theyvare friendly, efficient, and they take time with your children and talking with parents. I've never experienced ling wait times for appointments or walk-in.

Anab Gomes

1 Star. The doctors don’t take enough time to know well the child and they recommend specialist plus specialist. All about money. Plus when I requested the medical reports to take with me to Europe ( and that I paid for) the rapports are not accurate and they have mistakes. My daughter was with The Kidz docs for 4 years and they mentioned in the rapports delay in English and Spanish. WOW!! After 4 years you guys still don’t know my daughter’s native languages!!! Also, in my daughter’s medical rapports there is one page of another person and another kid. Wow! I was always treated with respect however I don’t recommend this place.

Deitra

My daughter had anappointment with Wellington and we were 3 mins late. The doctor Michelle Wellington told the receptionist that I had to reschedule. I'm thinking really despite the fact I'm driving from Waldorf, Md. Kids doc doctors do not take the time to get to know your kids. There are so many in staff that every time you go there are different doctors. Please be aware and don't take your kids. Unprofessional as the receptionist made a comments about one of the nurses " doing too much and getting on her nerves. You will be better off someone else. My kids will never see this place again.

Silvia Marchiori

Overall this office is not bad. Some of the doctors are in a hurry and spend little time in the room and some take their time with the children. Staff and nurses are nice! They have walk-in hours for sick kids, and that's great.

Cari Fisher

We LOVED Dr. Larkin! She was kind, friendly, and patient with me and my two-year-old. It was our first visit and Dr. Larkin took plenty of time to get to know us, talk with us (not TO us), answer any and all questions. She gave excellent referrals for opthomologists and pediatric dentists. Everyone in the busy practice smiled and said hello; very inviting and calming to my daughter.

Andrea Bennett

I enjoy bringing my grandkids here. Triage nurses are awesome!!!!!!!

HL W

Be warned that if you need your child's medical records provided to another doctor or hospital, you need to wait for them to email you a form, fill it out, turn it in, pay a $35 fee, and then wait up to TWO WEEKS for them to send it. These are MY child's medical records. Why do I need to pay another fee when I paid for their office visits? Very draconian policies and not customer-service oriented at all. You also need to fill out about ten new forms annually, even if none of your information has changed. The doctors are just OK, not great, if you get to see one. Many of our favorite doctors and nurses have left. Many of the nurses (not all - Joy Nickson and Tangela McGuire are both fabulous!) rush you in and out as quickly as possible and have a terrible bedside manner with children. The front office staff are rude. This place has changed into being about making a quick buck rather than providing good medical care to children. UPDATE - Through my own research, I found the medical records for my children are available online through the Kidz Docs web-site. This is info that definitely should have been conveyed, especially when I was clearly, and very politely I might add, trying to convey the urgency of my request.

sharona peterson

Little disappointed with the staff I don't like being interrogated by a doctor when I bring my children in for a check up. My kids do not get sick ever really they may get colds now and again so we only go for checkups. We are also homeschoolers and get interrogated by a doctor is not what we call fun and also not appropriate when we're there for children's health.

Cheyenne Sanchez

I only go to doctor Ferr for my son. If another pediatrician that is good as her see your children keep him/her. This place is great

Rodger Whittaker

People go here primarily because its close by. But plan on waiting. A lot. Over an hour is not unusual at all. Despite the reception desk between the "well" and "sick" side waiting areas, plan on airborne germs since you will be waiting so long. The reviews that call this place a factory are absolutely correct. It appears to be all about numbers and shoving kids through. Yes traffic can be a hassle, but you will be happier driving someplace else.

Meek W

My daughter loves The Kidz Docs. The providers always provide excellent care. The mornings walk-in hours are great also!

Amanda Patrick

I have been taking my three kids to Kidz Docs since they were infants (6+ years). It is a fantastic practice. The staff is knowledgeable and very good with children (and grown ups too). They also answer questions and don't mind when I sometimes pull out a pen and paper to get everything down. They are easy to get a hold of, they have morning walk in hours, and they work hard to squeeze you in should you have last minute appointment request. They also always have a doctor on call if you need help. They also know (and use) a lot of other local doctors should you need a specialist.

Johnathan Normile

Been going here since I was in diapers. The staff is friendly, efficient, and professional.

Asian Bistro

We've had nothing but good experience here. Able to get an appointment very quick, sometimes on the same day!

Jennifer Russell

Both my kids go here and we've never been happier. Everyone is friendly, willing to take time out to answer any questions and getting an appointment is painless. I would never take my boys anywhere else.

Ashley Bishop

Very disappointed with the service of staff and doctors. Set up is not at all kid friendly and doesn't seem well maintained. Receptionists are cold. Doctor I visited seemed nice at first but recently had no patience for my 3 year old's stories. Will be finding a new doctors office for my kiddos.

Ashley Fenoglio

We are a military family and were only in town for four months, but they were wonderful. I recently had an issue with my son's immunizations, and even though we had not been there in over a year, I called and they were so helpful and got everything I needed. I could not recommend this pediatrician more, and I'm sad that we had to move.

T Briggs

In my opinion and from my experience this is one of the most poorly run doctor offices that I have ever been to. I would not recommend especially if you have a newborn. I spent more time in back to back visits that it really made me start to question what exactly was the motive is here wellness or money? From the very beginning I noticed that the front desk staff was not organized and was not properly trained/experienced with insurance. My newborn was having extreme difficulties with reflux. It took well over two weeks of back to back visits to be diagnosed. Dr. Hulver was the only doctor to put an end to the very common reflux "mystery". Dr. Hulver was extremely professional. I found her action to be swift and examinations thorough. She changed my mind about switching and I decided to stay a client here because of her. Now recently my daughter had to get her first round of shots. I called to specifically get an appointment with a DOCTOR and when I showed up it was actually scheduled with a Nurse. I do not believe the front desk understands the difference and this is an issue. I continued with the appointment that was to get vaccines and a prescription refilled. We saw 2 nurses. The actual appointment with the Nurse Beckman was good. We asked multiple times to make sure our prescription would be sent and she said it would be. Then it was time for the vaccines. Another nurse came in and when I asked about a certain vaccine being given to my daughter she just said "here you can look and read it from this paper". Um what? No one had went over the rotavirus vaccine so this is unacceptable. My mother was also in the room and found this to be disturbing. We had also asked her if our prescription had been sent and she verified it had been. After this visit I went to pick up my prescription for my daughter and what do you know it wasn't sent. LOL. I called spoke to a nurse on call and they said they would speak to Nurse Beckman. I asked well when should it be sent her reply was that she didn't know so I proceeded to ask how will I know when it's sent and she said " I don't know". Seriously Kidz Doc. After hanging up with that very unhelpful nurse I called back to speak with a manager to better resolve this. I explained my concern asked for manager (specifically asked for a different person other than the nurse I was sent to on the first phone call )and was sent to the same woman. Why is it the front desk can not differentiate between people? She said she had called me to tell me the prescription was sent. It seems that she knew her reaction to me was both unprofessional and unsatisfactory and therefore followed up with me AS SHE SHOULD HAVE. Since apparently no manager/higher-up works there you left me to not only leave your practice for good but also write my opinion and experience here. Also it would be a good idea to get rid of your roach problem. Yes customers notice this kind of thing.

kathy penkiunas

As a mother of four children, I can attest to the fact that The Kidz Docs is a top-notch practice. The office staff is friendly and efficient, the waiting room in clean and cheerful, and most importantly, the providers are professional, well-educated, and thorough. Since our eldest daughter was born, we have been visiting this practice and they have seen us through ear infections, strep throat, allergies, mono, and everything in between. Although we have seen most of the providers, we typically see either Dr. Cynthia Shen, Dr. Jacqueline Arnold, or Kathleen Beckman. They spend time listening to my concerns as a mother, they listen to my children, and they engage them in the conversation. The providers are thorough with their examinations, and they regularly follow up after the appointment to see how my child is doing. The doctors and nurse practitioners tend to go above and beyond with their level of care and expertise, always being sensitive to the needs and concerns of my growing adolescents/young adults. The patient portal provides easy access to medical records, such as immunization records. In addition to online information, The Kidz Docs sends appointment reminders and scheduling reminders via text, which I really appreciate as a busy parent. I highly recommend The Kidz Docs to anyone who is looking for an outstanding pediatric practice with a convenient location.

Nate Harris

As a nurse myself, I thought this practice to have an unprofessionally long waiting time, much over an hour, that was with an appointment. Care was average. I am unsatisfied enough that I am moving my child's records and going elsewhere. Having to wait that long to see a healthcare provider is quite ridiculous, especially a pediatrician, who should understand their service population.

E T

They have taken good care of all four of my children, including my son with special needs.

Anthony Smith

I've had only good experiences here and all of the doctors and nurses are good.

Alexia Dilg

Nice doctors, wonderful staff, and short wait times.

Alice Riviere

My children were patients at Kidz Docs for years, until we moved out of town. I very much miss the care they received at Kidz Docs. The doctors were always thorough and took the time to look into my children's history. A number of times the doctors went out of their way to call me at home or follow up with additional insight even after I felt excellent care had been delivered. I always left the office confident that my children's well being was a top priority and that they were receiving the very best of care.

Lindsey Leibig

I have been going to Kidz Docs since my oldest girl (just turned 4y/o) was 3 months old. We now have another daughter (16 months old), and they both see NP Kathleen Beckman. The care that we have received has been the best. Our visits have ranged from well-visits to croupy baby to rashy baby to 3 yr old with acute and severe anxiety--there aren't words for how grateful we are for Kathleen's care, as well as for the care of the support staff. I have ALWAYS been able to talk to a nurse as soon as I call, and I have ALWAYS been able to get a sick visit same day when needed. I've practiced medicine for 7 years. I've been so impressed w/ the care we've been given that when we moved to Burke, we didn't move our medical care--we drive to see Ms. Kathleen. We have also seen a couple of other provider's there, and I've never had a bad experience. As we prepare to move to Colorado in the coming year, we hope that we will find another practice like this to take care of our girls. On the way to their office today, my big girl summed it up perfectly, "Momma, I wish Ms. Kathleen could have come to my birthday party."