Balancing Raising Young Children and Busy Clinical Shifts
When two students became study buddies in their first year of medical school they had no idea that a few short years later they would be married and juggling the persistent demands of raising two young daughters while launching new careers, all amid the uncertainties of a global pandemic. Justin Hwang, DO and Caitlin Harris-Hwang, DO met at Touro University of California College of Osteopathic Medicine in the Bay Area city of Vallejo. The friendship soon blossomed into a romance. When the next step came in their career paths, they decided to do their residency together at the University of Wisconsin, Department of Family Medicine.
The next years brought a whirlwind of
life-changing events for the couple. On
a trip to Peru in 2016, Justin popped the
question during a sunrise hike. They got
married in 2017, had a baby in 2018 while
in residency, and were both hired by
Sansum Clinic in February 2020. They
had their second child in January 2021.
Today Justin provides care for patients at
Sansum Clinic’s Goleta Family Medicine.
Caitlin practices at Sansum Clinic’s
Pesetas Urgent Care.
“When we were in Wisconsin we saw an ad
from Sansum Clinic in the New England
Journal of Medicine seeking doctors,”
Justin recalls. “We each hit it off very well
with the people at Sansum during our
interviews. They were very accommodating
in the way they were able to place us in
the organization to fit our career goals and
family life. It’s a fantastic staff.”
“We both have family in California that
we wanted to be closer to, so our move
to Santa Barbara has been just perfect
for us,” Caitlin adds. “We have a lot of
support nearby from aunts, uncles and
our parents. And the directors at Sansum
are very understanding about our needs
as a new family. Justin wanted to do
clinical-based medicine because that’s
where the majority of his training is. I
said that as a young mother I preferred
part-time work. That brought me to
urgent care where shifts are more flexible
and cases tend to be immediate and short
term. It’s my job to be there when I’m
there, and to be a mom when I’m a mom.”
Justin enjoys the intimate setting of
Goleta Family Medicine where he treats a
panel of patients, many of whom are long
term. “I’ve gotten to know entire families
and build relationships with patients
over time,” he says. “It feels almost like
a private practice. Our clinic has a
personal small-town feel to it.” We have
six physicians who cover three separate
areas of the building. Each area has its
own waiting room and staff.
Meanwhile, Caitlin’s work at Pesetas
Urgent Care places her on the front
lines of immediate medical care with
patients for whom she is typically not
their primary doctor. “I trained to be a
full-spectrum doctor, including earning
credentials to deliver babies,” she says.
“Our clinic is the best urgent care in Santa
Barbara County. We’re open every day
and we address a wide variety of patient
needs including injuries and illness. We
suture up chefs who cut themselves. If
an older person falls and doesn’t think
anything is wrong, we can order advanced
diagnostic imaging to be certain. I enjoy
balancing urgent care, where I get to use
my brain for things such as a differential
diagnosis, with making applesauce for
my children and putting them down for
naps. It’s wonderful for me to have both
the professional and maternal aspects in
my life.”
Pesetas Urgent Care also became Sansum
Clinic’s COVID-19 center providing care
for the community throughout every
stage of the pandemic. No one with
COVID symptoms is allowed anywhere
at Sansum Clinic except urgent care for
the health and safety of all patients. “All
COVID patients are funneled to us,”
Caitlin continues. “And we pivoted to be
able to provide a testing center on behalf
of the organization, performing tests
in a separate trailer right outside the
entrance of the urgent care.”
Pesetas Urgent Care also became Sansum
Clinic’s COVID-19 center providing care
for the community throughout every
stage of the pandemic. No one with
COVID symptoms is allowed anywhere
at Sansum Clinic except urgent care for
the health and safety of all patients. “All
COVID patients are funneled to us,”
Caitlin continues. “And we pivoted to be
able to provide a testing center on behalf
of the organization, performing tests
in a separate trailer right outside the
entrance of the urgent care.”
Justin and Caitlin are doctors of
osteopathic medicine (DO). Like MDs,
DOs complete four years of medical
school and can practice in any specialty
of medicine. Osteopathic physicians also
receive an additional 300 to 500 hours in
the study of hands-on manual medicine
and the body’s musculoskeletal system,
called osteopathic manipulative therapy
(OMT). “I integrate OMT as needed
as an additional aspect in urgent care,”
Caitlin says. “Osteopathic medicine
follows the principle that the mind, body
and soul are connected.”
Justin and Caitlin are doctors of
osteopathic medicine (DO). Like MDs,
DOs complete four years of medical
school and can practice in any specialty
of medicine. Osteopathic physicians also
receive an additional 300 to 500 hours in
the study of hands-on manual medicine
and the body’s musculoskeletal system,
called osteopathic manipulative therapy
(OMT). “I integrate OMT as needed
as an additional aspect in urgent care,”
Caitlin says. “Osteopathic medicine
follows the principle that the mind, body
and soul are connected.”
Collaboration and mutual support
continue at home for the Hwangs.
“Caitlin and I talk about our day and
sometimes we help each other figure
out puzzling medical cases, always
maintaining patient privacy,” Justin says.
“We can ask: what would you have done?
We talk after dinner or after the kids go
to bed. Since we’re both doctors there
is a mutual understanding that patient
welfare comes first. That sometimes
requires working late or skipping dinner.”
“We’re both busy doctors and we know
what it means to have a heavy caseload
or a backlog of MyChart messages to
address,” Caitlin adds. “I can ask Justin
to take care of the kids when I’m busy
with work. We don’t need to explain a
lot when we say we need backup. We
understand exactly what it means. We’ve
always been there for each other.”
Photo caption: Justin Hwang, DO, Caitlin Harris-Hwang, DO and their two daughters.