Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamecka Knight.
Tamecka, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up poor in small town Alabama where we had little, but we always had enough. A success story from my hometown is pretty much anyone who graduates from high school and go off to college or anyone who goes into the military. I was blessed to come from a family where my parents stressed going to college. I graduated with a Bachelor in Nursing and little over a year later, went back to pursue a Masters in Nursing. It is with this degree and training that I became certified as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I trained under two amazing, yet totally different, pediatricians. They laid the foundation for the knowledge base that I have now. A few years into practicing, I decided it was time to broaden my spectrum of care and training. While still working full time, I pursued a doctorate degree full time. In 2010, I completed my Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree and within a couple of months I moved to Houston, TX.
This is where the story gets good. Why Houston, you ask? It was God ordained. I had never been to Texas, let alone Houston. I knew absolutely nothing about Houston and yet, I packed up my entire life in Alabama and started all over. I worked at a pediatric clinic when I first moved to Houston and this is where I solidified my decision to open up my own office. I did not know anyone in the city who owned there own practice. I had no mentors to show me the way. It was me, a dream, and a boatload of determination.
With that determination came countless hours of working on my business plan. I hardly slept or ate during this time, fueled by pure adrenaline. I can remember going to sleep Thursday night, waking up the next morning and begin working and not realizing it was Sunday until my alarm for church went off. I had literally stayed up all day and night Friday and Saturday working on my business plan. I have definitely seen 24 hours come and go without going to sleep, but I don’t let days fly past anymore, lol. Every obstacle that could come against me in the beginning did–I couldn’t find a building then I found a building, but couldn’t get financed. My original building was a full build out and I remember the builders asking me for $10000 or $20000 checks and I would tell them “OK, I will bring it by next week” knowing I had no financing. They never stopped asking and I never stopped believing.
I finally got a bank to offer me a loan two weeks prior to my grand opening. I always believed God did not bring me this far and to this point to leave me or for me to quit. The original office for 1600sqft and the waiting room held about seven people. However, we grew leaps and bounds our first year. The support from the community was astonishing. We actually grew out the space after about three years. However, due to our lease agreement we stayed for five years. I hated to leave that community as they had been instrumental to our growth; however, there were no potential office spaces in the immediate vicinity that could house our growth. As of Jan 2, 2019, we opened the doors 6 miles away in a 4000sqft facility. My journey, yet still in process, is one filled with God’s Grace & Mercy!!!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anything worth having is worth working for. It has not been a smooth road, but it’s been a road I would travel over and over again. The odds were stacked against me from the very beginning; however, this was my fuel to succeed. Failure has never been an option. Never. Its been six years and I am still at the office 12-15 hour a day almost seven days a week, every week.
Premier Pediatrics of Houston – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I have one of very few nurse practitioner owned pediatric only clinics in the city of Houston. When I opened my clinic in 2013, there were no other nurse practitioner owned pediatric practices. To date, a couple have been established. We provide a medical home for children from 1 day to 18 years of age. We offer well child exams, immunizations, lab services, sick care, care for chronic illnesses such as eczema and asthma. I treat my patients as if they were my own. I talk to them where they can understand. I try to make them feel at home by knowing there names and personalities, laughing and joking with them, playing checkers with them or ball in the halls, whatever makes them feel comfortable.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success by the lives I make a difference in. Success, for me, is not monetary. I became a nurse practitioner and opened up my own clinic to make a difference, not to make a million.
Contact Info:
- Address: Premier Pediatrics of Houston
411 Lantern Bend Drive
Suite 235
Houston, TX 77090 - Website: www.premierpediatricshouston.com
- Phone: 2819792112
- Email: info@premierpediatricshouston.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/premierpediatricsofhouston
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