ABOUT CAROLINA VALDIVIA MD

Have you ever wondered? What is my doctor's philosophy about the practice of medicine? Carolina Valdivia MD shares this and more on this page.

Let's get the easy stuff out of the way. I am Dr. Carolina Valdivia, pronounced Kar-oh-LEE-nah Vahl-DEE-vee-ah. I am a native of Leon, Nicaragua, the second largest city in Nicaragua and a really nice place to visit if you are planning a vacation. I am the daughter of proud, dedicated, working-class parents that operate a small neighborhood store in Leon. I have one brother and he also is a physician.

I am a physician and surgeon, with a board specialty in ophthalmology. I completed my medical and surgical training at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua in Leon. From there, I traveled to Guatemala to complete my residency training in ophthalmology at the Rodolfo Robles Eye and Ear Hospital of Raphael Landivar University. In addition to my private practice, I regularly donate my time as an invited lecturer at universities and often speak in communities on eye care and health care in general.


PHILOSOPHY OF CAROLINA VALDIVIA MD

I am passionate about helping others. I put my passion into action through my medical practice. I did not choose a career in medicine to make a lot of money. I do not view my medical practice, or health care in general, as a business. Health must be a basic human right available to all, not a privilege restricted to a select few.

Does this sound like idealism to you?

Perhaps. But is idealism always unrealistic?

OF COURSE NOT!

Idealism generates passion. Passion calls us to action. Action creates opportunities. Opportunities spark creativity. Creativity propels us back to Idealism. It is a self-perpetuating process! I call it IPAOCI (pronounced ee-POW-cee).

Idealism only becomes unrealistic when steps of IPAOCI either are skipped or are not given adequate consideration.

Let me give you an example of how I, Carolina Valdivia MD, use IPAOCI in my medical practice.

• My idealism centers around the issue of health equity: health is a basic human right, not a privilege.
• I am very passionate about health equity: my idealism has energy and commitment.
• I act on my passion: I regularly give eye examinations free of charge or based upon what the patient can pay.
• My actions have created opportunities: I am invited to lecture at universities and to speak at community events.
• These opportunities have sparked creative solutions: I have launched initiatives to provide free eye exams to those in need.
• Creative solutions have propelled me back to idealism: Tests for intraocular pressure to prevent glaucoma should be available to everyone without cost.

Has my idealism brought me to the brink of bankruptcy? On the contrary, I have more paying patients visiting my office than ever before. It is true that lots of my colleagues earn more money than I do, but I didn't choose medicine as a career to increase my bank account. Most important, I am happy. I am known for providing high-quality eye care, for my dedication to health equity, and for my compassion toward those in need. To me, this is the essence of a successful medical practice.


ASK CAROLINA VALDIVIA MD

This website is another outgrowth of the IPAOCI process. It enables me to reach out to even more people than I normally could in my regular practice. This action has generated an opportunity to arrive at a creative solution that enables anyone visiting glaucoma-eye-info.com to ask me a health question, again free of any charge. Click on Ask Doctor Valdivia to access the instructions and form to do this.

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