Kim Mitchell-Silver knew at an early age she was going to spend the rest of her life pursuing a career in medicine.
On Aug. 22, she opened her own family care clinic—Silver Medical Associates, LLC—in her hometown, Picayune.
Silver was born in McNeill and graduated from Pearl River Central High School in 1982. As a child, she enjoyed all the aspects of life most children love, except for the classroom. However, her mother pushed her, as well as her two sisters, to achieve academically, which led to Silver’s passion for medicine.
Silver’s sisters were very intelligent, consistently making phenomenal grades while Silver was more focused on having fun as a child. Her mother always put emphasis on education, saying, “It is more important than getting married and having kids because you will need to support everything in life with a good education.”
As a result, Silver’s mother asked her daughters to take an IQ test while in high school, and it turned out that Silver had the highest IQ in the family.
Then, after taking a military aptitude test, the results indicated that her knowledge and mindset would be to pursue a career as a doctor, which piqued her interest in the field.
Silver would continue to surprise her family as she graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 2005 with honors.
After graduation, she tried her hand at nearly every branch of medicine imaginable, gaining experience in multiple departments.
“In nursing I worked in every field and there was nothing I didn’t love,” Silver said. “You never know if the person you saved was meant to do something more and you might change the world for it. I truly enjoy helping people and being the person they can trust during their time of need.”
Silver always wanted to come back to Picayune and settle down.
When she got a call that her father was in poor condition, she immediately came home to spend time with her family.
“I love being home. What is unique about this clinic is that I might be the only homegrown physician in the city. I get a lot of satisfaction from helping out the community I have loved my whole life,” Silver said.
Even though she enjoyed every aspect of her career in medicine, she finds the most enjoyment in family care where she is able to practice a little bit of everything, instead of focusing on one field, Sliver said.
“Family care is very interesting. I enjoy working with people of all ages,” Silver said. “There is always something going on that you can find, or something that other people missed, and to be able to help patients like that is what this job is all about.”
Silver Medical Associates LLC, provides the same services as other family care clinics.
Sliver said she conducts minor surgical procedures in her office, laboratory services, and physical exams. What also makes Silver’s clinic unique is that she provides her cellphone number to all her patients, in case of emergencies. If it is something serious that needs to be looked at immediately, Silver said she is also willing to open her doors for one of her patients, even during a holiday, if it is critical.
“Ever since I became a physician, I have always seen my patients like family and try to treat them as such,” Silver said.
As for the future of Silver Medical Associates LLC, Silver hopes to soon purchase the building, instead of renting, so she can make interior changes. Located at 814 South Haugh Avenue, the clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.