Durham Obstetrics & Gynecology

Patricia Eberhard, my NP, is spectacularly amazing. She gets 5 stars, but GOOD GOD it is impossible to get in touch with anyone at the office unless it’s to make an appointment. Whenever I need to call the Nurse Line I wait a minimum of ten minutes before I give up and leave a message. And of course I never receive a call back so I have to do it all over again the next day. I write this as I’m on minute seventeen of being on hold.

Ladies, I normally don’t review doctors because it’s such a personal choice (eh hem), but I have to say I highly recommend this practice. I’ve met 4 doctors and all of them have incredible bedside manner. The nurses are kind, patient, and really give you the time you need. My favorite person has been the ultrasound technician, who’s pretty much the sweetest Southern lady you could ever meet.
It’s a bit of an inconvenience to switch between the Duke and Fayetteville Street locations, since Fayetteville is so much closer to where we live, but both facilities have been very clean and comfortable. It’s also a little tricky to call to schedule appointments so I suggest you try to do that in person. The advice nurses are always very responsive and helpful, though.
Overall, this is a fantastic practice that delivers babies at Durham Regional Hospital. I originally checked it out after a friend recommended it — saying that when she had her son the doctor was crying and gave her a hug — that’s personal care! It’s very family-​oriented and we’re excited to be on this journey with Durham OBGyn!

The nurses are excellent and they appeared as excited as I was for the baby I am carrying. This is my first pregnancy and I ended up upset everytime I visited this practice. My 1^st doctor’s visited started with the doctor coming in late and then rushing through the appointment including the ultrasound. Did not get to enjoy the moment and felt pushed for time. Second appointment was at 8:30 am. Due to 3 inches of snowfall the day before the office was closed till 10:30 and the office failed to inform us of a cancellation of appointment. We drove half an hour in the snow to go and sit at an empty parking lot for half an hour more to try to figure out what happened. When we informed the office, they were not the least bit apologetic! The 3^rd appointment I went in 15 min late and someone else took my slot. I waited 30 – 45 min for an empty slot and meantime my ride had to leave for work. The office officially closes at 5p however I was first told I can stay in (being 5 months pregnant) until my ride gets there. But, soon annoyed staff members kept asking when the ride will come and kept informing me that by law they HAVE to stay at the office until my ride gets there. When is the ride coming? They are at that office only because of me. If it werent for me, they would have left a long time back. Where is this ride? I heard the same comment several times from different staff members before I felt compelled to leave stand in the street close to sunset on 3^rd Feb 2014 in the Durham region. The front desk staff do not smile, are rude, and would rather be someplace else. Trust me, you would want to do the same. Say no to Durham OB/​Gyn!

I have seen an NP and an MD at the Fayetteville St location. The NP was for a general check up (pap smear, etc), the MD for pericervical block and IUD placement.
I liked both providers, the practice is neat and clean, all good things. My only complaint is the lunch hour they’ve got going on — I’m a nurse in the hospital, so partly I’m begrudged that anyone gets an actual, office-​sanctioned break. I can get over that, though — what truly annoys me is that it’s every single day. And when I look on their website, I don’t see it listed, but it’s clear when you’re at the office. Also, when I came in to get the IUD placed, I left during lunch and had to be let out (the door had already been locked) by someone. They were supposed to call me with a follow-​up appointment for 6 weeks after the IUD placement, but no one did. While yes, I could have been responsible and called them to make an appointment, I didn’t b/​c I know if something’s wrong with me. However, what if I weren’t a healthcare professional? I could have been lost to the system and meanwhile had a complication.

All righty… talking to the world about my OBGYN. This is… new. So, I’m weird about doctors. If I don’t like your personality, I probably won’t come back, and if I stop liking your diagnoses I probably will ignore you and stop coming back, which means I change doctors not infrequently, which means my continuity of care is crap, according to my husband the MD. Still, if I tell you I like a doctor, at least you know that’s a sincere recommendation. I’ve seen two doctors at this practice and liked both (interesting fact — first two male obgyns I’ve ever been to). They were smart, helpful, friendly and generally pleasant to spend an appointment with. Nurses and reception staff are also quite nice and willing to answer my dumb questions over the phone. They’ve got one location out on North Duke Street in that whole medical park area, and one in Sutton Station for the SW Durham crowd — very convenient.
It also may be worth mentioning that they have a nice Web site, with health-​related articles and news stories, as well as discussion boards.