Due to several factors that exist in today’s healthcare environment, the amount of time a physician can spend with a patient has been greatly reduced. For Dr. Sandra Mancilla, a board-certified physician of family medicine with Atlantic General Primary Care in Selbyville, combating this challenge means maximizing the amount of quality time and communication with each patient during their office visit.

“I try to gather as much information as I can about the patient’s conditions before the encounter,” Dr. Mancilla said. “I prioritize immediate needs, review preventive care each visit and offer subsequent appointments to help address further issues.”

Being a physician in the post-pandemic world presents additional obstacles for the profession, but Dr. Mancilla sees tremendous value in the advent of telehealth technologies and in encouraging her patients to remain positive and to focus on what is most important to them.

“Patients appreciate the access to telehealth medicine, especially when they have transportation issues, work-schedule conflicts or acute issues that do not necessarily require in-office visits,” said Dr. Mancilla, who has more than 14 years of clinical experience in community medicine and is fluent in both English and Spanish. “[I share with my patients that] the past is in the past. Live the present and prepare for the future. Focus on good health habits and stress management.”

The most rewarding aspects of her profession involve the creation of a genuine bond with her patients.

“I enjoy growing with my patients, creating longstanding relationships, the continuity of care and helping them through up and downs of life,” she said.