Today we’d like to introduce you to James Carpenter.
Hi James, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began my journey as the youngest child of four in a small town, Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. My parents divorced when I was seven, and my mother brought us here for a “fresh start”- This is the part where dreams and reality had trouble seeing eye to eye. Aside from having to raise four young children, my mother battled with severe depression that would keep her in bed for days at a time. I have no idea how I remained so calm and optimistic, but I can say that I never really struggled with my parent’s divorce, unlike my siblings. I enjoyed having cereal for practically every meal and getting up early for school. Mostly, I enjoyed the quiet that replaced the sound of my parents arguing.
Middle school and high school became slightly more tumultuous as my mother woke from her slumber to marry the epitome of evil stepparents. My mother’s infatuation for her new husband superseded her desire to parent. By my 13th birthday, my siblings would have been kicked out of my house by my stepfather, and I was left with whatever knowledge I had gained to figure it out. Nevertheless, I spent my summers as a camp counselor. Much like Neverland, this was a place where children roamed, free of parental supervision, explored nature, sang songs, and developed beautiful memories. I suppose this is where I began to find my calling as a nurturer.
It was my junior year in high school; I was a lifeguard, loved the chemistry club, wrote for the school newspaper, and felt lost. Senior year was coming, and I was desperate to find my path in life before it had escaped me. My chemistry and biology teachers suggested nursing as a good fit, an idea that would have probably never crossed my mind. Then, a good friend talked me into taking an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course, which sounded like a good introduction. After working as a volunteer EMT, I became a nursing assistant and enrolled in nursing school.
The first few years as a medical-surgical nurse and then an emergency room nurse felt like a blur. Those years were exhausting and a lot of hard work, but I was on autopilot- completing tasks and doing my best not to make any mistakes. I enjoyed the camaraderie, but there were so many problems- patients unable to see their provider for weeks, limited education, provider burnout, insurance issues, hidden medical fees, etc. A few years into my nursing practice, I knew it was time to go back to school to see what I could do to find a solution to these ever-growing problems.
My love for the emergency room ended when I became a nurse practitioner; it seemed like I was a pill mill with no time for actual patient interaction- “get them in and get them out”. One of the catalysts that pushed me to open my practice was waiting two hours for a scheduled appointment with my primary care provider. The other was the pandemic, which reduced our working hours- from 180 hours a month to only 60 hours a month. It was time for a change.
I stumbled upon direct primary care during my master’s program and loved the concept. Direct primary care eliminates health insurance from the equation to allow for a direct relationship between provider and patient. The direct primary care model will enable patients to have unlimited visits, have a same or next day appointment, and avoid waiting rooms. By cutting the patient panel size from up to 2,000 patients, as seen in conventional primary care, down to 500 patients, there is a greater opportunity to provide a more individualized level of care. Direct primary care allows me to give the attention and care that patients deserve.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To quote Teddy Roosevelt: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…”. I am a healthcare provider venturing into an entirely new realm of business ownership, so the entire process is fraught with growing pains, for which I am thankful. My greatest struggle is helping consumers escape the shackles of conventional healthcare ingrained in our heads since childhood. Unlike corporations with vast resources, I am one person working to spread the word and market myself effectively while guaranteeing excellent patient care.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Health Carpenter Direct Primary Care & Aesthetics?
The one thing that sets our business apart is that we make time. We give patients the time they need.
We have same or next day appointment availability.
We make it easy to schedule online or by phone.
We provide individualized care, giving our patients the personal attention, they need.
We strive to make things very convenient to increase the success of our members.
The business of medicine is built on illness, while our success is grounded in wellness. Our focus is always on lifestyle modification first because we know certain aspects of health are fundamental- nutrition, exercise, sleep, sex, and positive relationships. Unlike conventional healthcare, we maintain an open line of communication with our patients to ensure their success.
We offer membership-based primary care; rather than billing the insurance companies, we charge an affordable, flat, monthly fee for primary care and some urgent care services. We decided to escape the chains of health insurance which limited visits to 15 minutes for high-priced premiums.
Although The Health Carpenter treats primary and urgent care problems, we also offer many aesthetic services at my practice. I have realized that physical appearance plays a huge role in wellness in our society and can affect how patients perceive themselves. By offering Botox, fillers, high-tech laser treatments, and facials, I can have my patient’s looking and feeling fabulous. When combined with diet and exercise plans and my one-on-one attention, I make sure my patients are exposed to all areas of wellness to optimize their health and well-being.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Aside from working as a camp counselor, where I have many great memories, a very fond memory for me was playing Scrabble after school with my sister and aunt. We would have tea, laugh, and play for hours.
Contact Info:
- Email: thehealthcarpenter@gmail.com
- Website: www.TheHealthCarpenter.com
- Instagram: the_healthcarpenter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthCarpenter
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-health-carpenter-orlando-3
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