Celebrate Her Success

Photo by Mark Steffey

Allison Key, M.D., owner of 3:16 Healthcare and Spa 3:16, loves working as a family practice physician in the small town of Bremen, Ga. Born and raised in Bremen, Allison says for as long as she can remember, she had always dreamed of becoming a doctor – in spite of having no family connection to the healthcare field.

"It may sound cliché, but I really have always enjoyed helping other people," she shares. "I joke and say that I became a doctor because I am nosy, but in all reality, I am a 'fixer' by nature. I truly feel like it was a calling."

Big Achievements

As a young student, Allison had her sights set on becoming a doctor as quickly as possible. In high school, she enrolled in the University of West Georgia in a dual enrollment program. By the time she graduated from Bremen High School, she was already a junior in college.

After earning her undergraduate degree in chemistry from UWG in 2002, she attended Mercer University School of Medicine and graduated as a medical doctor at age 24. Although humble when speaking about her academic performance in school, Allison has much to be proud of: She had the highest GPA in her high school graduating class, the highest SAT scores, she recieved several area awards and scholarships through high school and college and, at that time, was the youngest person to ever graduate from the Mercer University School of Medicine.

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Initially, she had always thought she would become a pediatrician, and was interested in neonatology – a subspecialty of pediatrics that specializes in caring for newborn infants, particularly premature or ill newborns.

"I wanted to be a neonatologist, but after holding a baby while it died in my arms, I just could not do it," she relates. "I chose family medicine mostly because of my grandparents. They have always been such an important part of my life, and I grew up with a very close relationship with all of them. There is just something special about that, and that is why I came back to Bremen to practice medicine. I want to serve and honor them and, after I had kids of my own, I wanted them to have that kind of relationship with their grandparents. With family medicine, I get to see both the youngest and oldest patients in our community."

She completed her family medicine residency training in Rome, Ga., at the Floyd Family Medicine Residency Program, and served as chief resident. In all, Allison completed 11 years of higher education to become a practicing medical doctor. Her education didn’t end after receiving her medical degree, though. Allison frequently challenges herself to learn more than the required hours of continuing education to stay board certified, and she is required to retake her board exam every 10 years.

"I love to read," she explains. "So, I enjoy reading any articles or new information I can regarding the latest recommendations. It is important to be on the cutting edge of medicine. We are learning more every day, and I want to be part of that."

She began practicing medicine 12 years ago straight out of residency, and she credits her first job for having the greatest impact on her professional life. “I worked over eight years just feet away from Dr. Will Parrish at Primary Care of Bremen," she says. “He is a smart and caring person. He was a wonderful mentor, teacher, sounding board and friend. I also had several remarkably wonderful attending physicians in my residency program who shaped me into the physician I am today: Dr. Mark Jester, Dr. Robinson, Dr. Reeves and many others were great examples of true family physicians.

Devastating Heartbreak

Allison met her husband, David, at UWG, and they were married just before she graduated medical school. Soon after their marriage, they began trying to start a family, but were unsuccessful for the next three years. They decided to take a break from trying to have children, and were prayerfully considering IVF and other alternatives.

Her parents went through a divorce when she was 9 years old, and her father had turned to alcohol to cope and became an alcoholic. "When he wasn’t drinking, he was the funniest, most generous and loving man I have every known," she shares. "But alcohol had a terrible effect on him. He wrestled with severe depression because of it and after many tumultuous years, he died by suicide when I was 28."

When she received the call that her father had passed away, she and her brother were on a trip with their spouses in Wyoming. They immediately rushed home. "It took us exactly 24 hours to get from Jackson Hole, Wyoming back to Atlanta," she says. "One week after my father died, I found out I was pregnant. When I question God’s timing or plans, I look at my sweet girl’s face, and I know without a shadow of a doubt, that God knows what is best for us. He knows what we need, when we need it. He knows way more than you or I could ever guess or control, and for that, I am eternally grateful."

Allison, with her dad, Mike Kimball.

Photo courtesy of Allison Key, M.D.

About six months after her father passed away, she had a revelation that would change her goal as a physician when she encountered a patient during a hospital follow up visit. She had not seen the person in a while, but had previously had a good connection with him.

"He had tried to take his own life in almost the same way my father had, but he had survived," she shares. "I couldn’t tell him that day about my experience because I was too emotional, but one of the things I learned from that was that people die who are supposed to die, and people live who are supposed to live. In all things, God has a plan that we often can’t see or understand.

"Therefore, as a physician, my goal changed from trying to increase the quantity of my patient’s lives – take this, you will live longer – to working to improve the quality of their lives. It is important to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible, but the quality of those years is more important to me."

Creating Her Own Path

After 11 years of practicing medicine in other medical facilities, Allison felt like she was meant for something else. "I loved my time at my previous practices, but there was something deep in my heart that was unsettled," she shares. In September 2017, with the support of family and friends, she took the leap and opened her own medical practice.

Owning her own practice brings many rewards, but she's also had her share of challenges. “It has been a giant learning curve, but people have come out of the woodwork to help me get this thing off the ground," she relates. "The community support has just been tremendous. However, I feel my greatest challenge is the human resources side of things. Hiring, firing, having those hard conversations. I will never be good at making choices that hurt other people, even when it appears they 'deserve' it. That’s super difficult for me to do, and I definitely lose sleep over it.”

Allison says her patients are the motivation behind her work as a physician. "Knowing that people are depending on me to help them is what motivates me," she says. "Honestly, healthcare can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, and, just like any job, there are days I just want to call in 'sick' and stay home. But my patients mean the world to me, and to let one of them down would be like letting someone in my family down."

"I see 3:16 Healthcare being on the leading edge of changing the way we do medicine in this community."

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Being a female business owner in an office with an all-female staff creates some interesting challenges of its own, but also comes with many blessings. “Women are very emotional beings, which is both a benefit and a challenge at times,” she explains. “But it makes us good communicators. We have a lot of fun up here, we have developed an almost instant sisterhood and we share so many common life challenges that the support is just tremendous. I think men are often less emotionally driven, which can make things simpler, but they often don’t communicate as well."

She hopes that as both a woman and a physician, those who know her would describe her as generous, patient, kind, loving and hard working. "I strive to be honest, reliable, and faithful," she relates. "When I graduated high school, my senior quote was Matthew 5:16: 'Let your light shine before others, so they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.' I hope my life is a light that leads others to God. If I accomplish that, then I have done all I set out to do."

Even from an early age, her faith in God has guided her throughout her life: Her first job was as the afternoon DJ for a local gospel and country radio station. "When I was 15, my mama would drive me to the AM radio station in Bremen after school," she smiles. “1440 AM, your southern gospel and Christian country leader!"

A Male-Dominated Field

Statistically, only 34 percent of U.S. physicians are women, up 4 percent since 2010, according to a 2016 nationwide census conducted by the Federation of State Medical Boards. Allison is one of the few who have taken the leap to create her own medical practice in a male dominated field.

"I have always liked that old saying, 'If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.' So, it is definitely not always easy," she relates. "I think society has really become accustomed to females in medicine – even as physicians – but I often feel ignored in meetings or committees where it is a predominantly male physician group. That just means I must work harder, speak louder and smile brighter. I think about my daughter and how my struggles today will make the path easier for her in the future."

Dr. Allison Key treats people of all ages at her family medical practice, 3:16 Healthcare, and enjoys taking care of the youngest to the oldest in her community of Bremen, Ga., and the surrounding areas.

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Although women have come a long way in the medical field, she says she has had several experiences where she has experienced discrimination on many levels because of her gender – from former patients to colleagues. “It has not been unusual for a patient to call me 'Miss Key' instead of 'Dr. Key,' when they would never refer to their male physicians as 'Mister So-and-so,' instead of 'Dr.,'" she explains. "Often, staff members or administration have responded to a male physician’s requests or demands over mine. Again, I just respond by working hard and proving that I am equally important.

“My favorite president to learn about in school was Teddy Roosevelt, for several reasons," she relates. "One of my favorite quotes of his was, 'Walk softly but carry a big stick.' I don’t believe in throwing my weight around, causing a scene or yelling, but I do believe that actions speak louder than words. So, I hope my actions, decisions and encounters with my patients will speak for themselves that I am every bit as qualified and respectable as any male physician."

Her Advice

Although owning an independent medical practice is far from easy, the rewards make it worthwhile, and Allison's advice to other female physicians who may be interested in opening their own practice is empowering. "Do it!" she exclaims. "I was led to believe by the 'industry of medicine' that it is not feasible to own your own practice anymore, that everyone has to be a part of big medicine to survive – and that is just not true. To me, I feel like something is lost in big medicine. There is a lot of administration, rules and regulations, and while that is not all bad, the essence of medicine sometimes gets lost – the real, true patient interaction. It becomes more about bottom lines and check lists than about that sweet little grandmother in front of you."

She is proud of the unique and personal relationships she has built with each one of her patients in her community. "I don’t think the relationships I have with most of my patients is typical," she explains. "Being from the town where I practice gives me the unique advantage of knowing many of my patients on a more personal level, so it is an honor and privilege to be their physician."

Allison says the best part about having her own practice is the creativity, the stretch of her brain and most of all, getting back to the root of family medicine. Being able to do house calls and adding some new twists onto old practices has been fun and refreshing for her as a physician in family practice.

She also says to never underestimate what a new and growing business has the potential to become.

She initially thought the large building she purchased for her new practice would be too big, but her practice is already outgrowing the building. She says if she had to do it all over again, she would probably have reached for the stars and bought an even larger building in the beginning.

The warm and inviting entrance to Spa 3:16 evokes an essence of coming home the moment you walk up the front steps.

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Allison believes in the power of prayer over everything she does in life, as well as reaching out to others who are important to her for advice. "My husband is probably the smartest and most rational person I know, so I always ask his opinions, even though he says I ignore them," she laughs. "I also talk most major decisions over with my mom and my brother. They keep me grounded."

One of Spa 3:16's cozy and relaxing spa treatment rooms.

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Beyond Family Medicine

At 3:16 Healthcare and Spa 3:16, their services consist of everything from sports physicals, well checks, annual physicals, sick visits, DOT exams and bioidentical hormones, to weight loss, laser hair removal, body contouring, Botox, fillers and much more. "We have a huge variety of services on both ends of our practice," she explains. "House calls are something no one does anymore, but we do! Most of our spa services are only offered at Spa 3:16 in the West Georgia area.

Dr. Key in the Spa 3:16 side of 3:16 Healthcare.

Photo by Zachary Dailey

"You would have to go to Atlanta to get many of the services we offer, and we have them in one convenient place.

Some of our newest services are hair restoration, bioidentical hormone therapy, PRP facials (Publisher's note: PRP, or Platelet Rich Plasma facials are also known as "vampire facials." These trigger collagen production and help smooth, tighten and improve skin tone.) and microblading."

Spa 3:16 carries the Belly Buttons & Babies skin and hair care products as well as many other products, from apparel and jewelry to supplements and skin care, including PCA Skin Care; glo•minerals; Never Lose Hope designs; Farmhouse Fresh Skin Care; Mono B; Southern Elegance; FakeBake; and Harper+Ari.

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Lovely angel paintings line the hallways of 3:16 Healthcare.

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Photo by Zachary Dailey

Her Support System

Allison consistently relies on her faith and her family for support. "I can’t even begin to tell you how important my faith is to me," she relates."Jesus has shaped every part of my life, and I am eternally thankful for His daily help and love. I have known my husband for literally half my life now, and he has been there for the highest highs and the lowest lows. He balances me and has certainly had a huge impact on my life."

She says her 7-year-old daughter, Ada Lynn, and 5-year-old son, Luke, are her biggest fans – for now anyway – and they think 3:16 Healthcare is wonderful. "My son thinks I am famous,” she laughs. "They are the biggest part of why I made the decision to start 3:16 Healthcare. Without their love and support, it would be difficult to keep putting in the sweat equity I have been doing lately."

Allison and her family live on a farm in Bowdon, Ga., with many pets, including cows, cats, dogs, a fish and a turtle named Dolly Roscoe – she says that's a cute story to be shared another day.

The family worships at Bethlehem United Methodist Church, where Allison grew up, and she serves as the church's pianist. She loves to read and travel in her spare time.

Allison, her brother and their families share a unique goal: They want to visit all of the National Parks before their children graduate high school. "You can often find us with stair-step children," she says. "Currently 7, 6, 5, 4 and 1 in a 15-passenger van visiting our nation’s most beautiful landmarks."

Looking Ahead

Although she only opened her family medical practice one year ago, 3:16 Healthcare is thriving.

Allison does want to slow down after a few years to spend more time with her family and have a little more flexibility in her schedule.

She also wants to write – something she has wanted to do for a long time – she still isn't sure of what she will write about, but she says that will come in time.

For the future of her business, she plans on 3:16 Healthcare and Spa 3:16 being an important part of the Bremen community for a very long time.

"I see 3:16 Healthcare being on the leading edge of changing the way we do medicine in this community – and in this country – so, I plan to still be captaining this ship," she relates. "Life is too short to live unhappy. God plants dreams in our hearts that lead us to His purpose for our lives.

"Opening 3:16 Healthcare was a huge leap of faith and the greatest risk I have ever taken, but it has beenthe best thing I have ever done. I am getting to live my dream and fall into bed at night feeling satisfied and at peace." WGW

"Life is too short to live unhappy. God plants dreams in our hearts that lead us to His purpose for our lives."

Photo by Mark Steffey