DOCTORS OF INTEREST
The FAMILY DOCTOR
BY GREG GARDNER
There are only so many hours in the day, but Dr. Paula
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Crawford-Harris has found that delicate balance
between running a family practice and raising her
blended family of five children.
“I am hypervigilant about my schedule and I get through
my day and get home to my family,” says Crawford-Harris,
who sees 20 patients a day at her office in St. Lucie West. “I
set a good pace and structure at my office so I am not taking
work home. You have to give back something to your family
when you get home.”
After her 35-minute trek from her home in Palm Beach Gardens,
Crawford-Harris sees one patient after another, sometimes
with a quick salad at her desk for nourishment. At the
end of her day, she returns to pick up her toddlers and begin
the second half of her family practice. “They have to have a
bath and dinner before bed,” she says. “I usually have about
an hour of downtime before I go to sleep and wake up again
at six a.m. It is a continuous cycle, but you have to make sure
your career and life at home have an equal balance. I have
learned a lot about time management. Taking care of children
prepares you to manage the work at the office. You have to
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GREG GARDNER
Dr. Paula Crawford-Harris sees patient after patient, five days a week, at her St. Lucie West office before she heads home to her family. Originally from
Brevard County, she is impressed with how Port St. Lucie has grown over the past 20 years.
Omar and Paula Crawford-Harris pose for a family photo with sons Christopher,
Rahmai, Shamar and baby William.
Treasure Coast Medical Report