Getting in Formation with a Testimony

My entire life I have always been a leader. From teaching my classmates in Kindergarten, to being captain of the middle school and high school cheer squad and basketball team, to being voted in as President of several UVA Nursing School organizations, and graduating at the top of my class with my doctoral degree. Aside from being a lifelong leader, I knew I always wanted to help others. Since the age of 12, I have kept a green sparkly composition book with all of life goals- from getting my driver's license, to going to UVA for my BSN, and obtaining my DNP to become a family nurse practitioner. As you can probably tell, I am a planner. But what was not written in my book was entrepreneur.

I have gone through many seasons in my faith- learning about obedience to God, learning the hard way that it is not about my timing, but HIS timing, and putting my full trust into God. I felt like I had been doing decently with the former two, however, I was still struggling with the latter. Here is my testimony about how Elite Faith Mobile Medical Clinic PLLC came to be, all because of God!

At least since the end of 2023, the Lord placed on my heart I should have my own practice. I was working at a clinic where I was responsible for everything from the beginning of the patient visit to the end of the patient visit. I would check in the patient and run their insurance, collect vital signs and patient history, diagnose, prescribe, formulate a treatment plan, collect payment, order supplies, clean the clinic space, and everything else in-between. Being there, I realized all I needed was my own space and I could do things my own way and deliver care the way I felt patient's deserved. Not to knock my former practice, but things are much easier when you are in control...or better yet, when God is in control. I read a book by Tatum Temia called Blessed and Bossed Up (highly recommend!) which further solidified God's calling for me to pursue entrepreneurship. However, never had I ever had a desire to have a private practice, especially a regular brick and mortar practice. I remember having this same conversation with my best friend, Chauntel. As I was uttering the words, "There's no way I can possibly run an independent practice. It's too much work," I heard the Lord clearly say, "Why not trust me?" Now, at that point, I had never heard the Lord's whisper. He usually speaks to me through scripture or through other people. However, that day, I heard His voice for the very first time. It was calming, yet chilling. Then I quickly spoke back and said, "Okay, I got you. I guess I will be starting an independent practice, but Lord I am not quite sure how."

The next day, on April 29th, my Grandma Phinnie's birthday, actually, while I was visiting my parents, we were watching the 12 o'clock news and I heard the word, "mobile." That's when the lightbulb went off! That was exactly it. The Lord answered my prayer and told me I should be running a mobile practice! Quickly, my creative thoughts were racing. It brought me back to grad school when I had a clinical rotation with the University of Maryland Mobile Clinic which brought healthcare directly to the community. I quickly shared my ideas with my parents and my grandparents that same day. They kind of looked at me and gave me a simple, "okay." However, I was convinced they had to see it to believe it.

Fast forward 2 weeks, my PLLC was created and in place on May 15, 2024, and I had already established a relationship with an accountant to determine the best way to set up my independent practice. Now fast forward 1 month, my clinic is open and ready for business, with already starting off by offering free sports physicals to my community at a local health fair.

Needless to say, Elite Faith Mobile Medical Clinic, was not my idea by any means. This clinic was formulated by God himself and I am simply His hands and feet. This clinic was divinely created to offer care for the community I call home, and I cannot wait to see the impact it has on patients' lives!

Be sure to check out the website for further details on the services offered. If you are interested in booking an appointment, please click HERE. Be sure to follow and like our page on Facebook to stay up to date with all of the recent happenings!

"The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." Psalm 37:23 NLT

Bye for now!

Dr. Andrea K. Shepherd