After reading our blog about Brainey, genius kid, many of our readers asked if we knew of other gifted children. And indeed, we do!
Tank Sinclair, M.D., internist at Stroller Maine Medical Center in Boise, ID fits the bill. He’s a gifted toddler and attending physician at 3 years of age.
Dr. Sinclair's IQ is off the charts. He is an intellectual phenomenon; however, he has the behavioral tendencies of a toddler.
Dr. Jennifer Atler, DO, chief medical officer at Stroller Maine comments, “Dr. Sinclair is an excellent part of our medical staff. He’s a voracious reader and a great knowledge resource for our physicians. But he has tendencies towards temper tantrums; he demands to be pushed around in a stroller. And he must take naps at 2 p.m. The nap time is not so bad. It corresponds with quiet time for our patients. We look for multiple ways to create win-win situations between the hospital and Dr. Sinclair.”
Dr. Sinclair weighs in, “I love my job. But what am I supposed do? I am 37.5 inches (95.25 cm) tall. I am not fully grown, so I use the stroller to round efficiently. Look, I even had to get a note from my mommy to reassure the medical executive committee that I don’t need a chaperone! My patients are foremost.”
Apparently, the medical executive committee had to create a special bylaw allowing toddler physicians to write progress notes without a cosigner. Credentials committee member, Ivan Filmore, MD, pediatrician, provides more insight. “I have never been involved in credentialing a toddler. But I was reassured that the temper tantrums can be reduced by giving Tank a teddy bear to alleviate stress.”
Dr. Sinclair's patients experience great outcomes. When he reaches his growth spurt, he should improve his rounding efficiency by leaps and bounds.
The Mirth Manual will follow Dr. Sinclair’ s progress. For more on toddler-inspired healthcare, read our story on The Peek-A-Boo Method for Patient Engagement.