Dr. Kerri Ann Ashling, MD

I had an incredibly upsetting experience with Dr. Ashling during an urgent care visit. She performed a exam that was unnecessarily harsh and caused significant pain. When I explicitly told her that she was hurting me, she was completely cold and dismissive, simply responding with 'I know,' rather than adjusting her approach or showing any empathy. I have had this exam performed by other doctors who were gentle and asked for feedback to ensure comfort; Dr. Ashling did neither. Her bedside manner is unprofessional, and I left feeling unheard and physically mistreated."

Here’s what my 18-year-old daughter wrote to the doctor: On Saturday, Nov. 20 , I came to urgent care with a constellation of throat and respiratory symptoms, including very swollen lymph nodes, white patches on throat, congestion, fatigue, etc. i had been suffering for about 10 days at college before I made my way home and my mom took me to urgent care. There, seen by another doctor, I tested positive for strep. Prescribed clindamycin. 2 days later, my symptoms were worse. I was in extreme pain, could not swallow, lethargic. So, when we decided to come back to urgent care two days later, first and foremost on our mind was a request to be tested for mono. However, the nurse who did the intake suggested that instead we go immediately to the emergency room because he “had consulted with the doctor (you) and there’s nothing more than urgent care could do for me.” My mom and I were quite frustrated by this assertion and the prospect of having to sit all day at the emergency room. I… really wanted to talk to the doctor and ask about mono and other things. I had been suffering for so long and so we insisted that we see a doctor. I admit my mom got a little upset with the nurse, though she quickly apologized. Dr., you, walked into the exam room already annoyed. I think you made a quick glance at my throat and said: “ There’s nothing more that we can do for you here. You should be better by now. Clearly you have a tonsular abscess. You need to go to the emergency room. We tried to warn you.” We were stunned, but we left and spent the day at sequoia, where they determined I did *not* have an abscess. Fast forward 2 more days— we were lucky enough (through a lot of pushing and begging) to see an ENT doctor, who quickly established that I have a bad case of mono— and I had strep too. I wish you could have taken a few minutes to speak compassionately to us and to let us ask about mono, as we planned to do. Your behavior was upsetting and unprofessional. We wasted a day in the ER and then had to fight to find an ENT who would see me. Thank you for listening. I hope you will treat future patients with a bit more compassion.

i absolutely loved Dr Ashling and still love her. she was my first doctor at group health (2009 ). she is one of the best Drs iv ever seen, Very knowl ...