Kaitlin B Firquin, DO | Norton Medical Group

My name is Katie Firquin, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Norton Children's Emergency Department. I chose pediatrics because I love working with kiddos. They're so much fun, they're so resilient. I love being the face of the emergency department when people come in for their worst days and are at their most vulnerable. I love to be the person that's standing there by their side holding their hand and getting them through it. That's probably the hardest part of our job is comforting the parents because we're not in their shoes. We're just standing by their side. So I usually will hold a hand, put my hand on their back, sit down, kind of look them in the eye and say, "I honestly don't know what you're going through, but I'm going to stand here beside of you and walk you through it while you're going through the worst of it."
And that usually makes a big difference for our parents, just to know that someone's there and that they're caring and that someone's listening to them. I think that's my biggest technique is distraction. And that usually works well for kids and pets alike. So I usually will sit on the bed, always ask permission to sit on the bed and get down and talk with the kids and at their level. If it requires crawling on the floor, sometimes we'll do it, but it's pediatric, so we got to do what we got to do to examine the kids and make them feel safe.
Kids have my heart. Growing up, I always thought I would be a kindergarten teacher and work in the schools like my mom, but getting into medicine and working with kids in that capacity just stole my heart. They're so much fun to work with, and just talking to them makes my day brighter. Sometimes coming into the emergency department, maybe they're not having their worst day, they're just having a little illness and a sticker or a Popsicle and a smile can just make their day a little better.
I'm originally from Campbellsville, Kentucky. I went to Taylor County High School, graduated there and went to University of Kentucky from my undergraduate degree, moved on to Eastern Kentucky and Pikeville for my osteopathic medical degree, and actually just came back from Alabama. I went down to Mobile, Alabama for my pediatric residency training and just returned back to Louisville. So I've made it full circle to come home back to the Commonwealth to serve the beautiful state that I grew up in. So moving back to Louisville, my husband and I have just been getting out and getting to know the city. We both love watching Formula One racing. We love going mountain biking and go-karting, and we're always outside and looking for that next adventure.