Live to work

For Dr Shmerling, the desire to be a doctor when he was growing up was always intertwined with wanting to work with kids. His father was a GP, and his mother was a paediatric speech therapist who operated clinics out of their front room. ‘My Mum was really passionate about working with kids and shifting their trajectory, and so it always lingered in the back of my mind,’ he recalls.

‘There was something about their passion and their joy for their work that had a big influence on my interest in working in that space. I went to medical school and from my first exposure to paediatrics, I fell in love with it. I loved how innocent kids are; they're so quirky in the way that they express themselves, so honest, and so raw.’

He went through medical school at Monash University in Melbourne and moved into the Victorian paediatrics training system, which rotates people through various hospitals around the state. ‘You know when you're in a work environment where it just feels right for you? It just felt like that from day one. I also really value the ability to support parents and families when they're really stressed. I feel like that's something that comes naturally to me, just being able to be a calming influence, and hold their hand through the process. I found that very rewarding. When you're doing something you love, you never work a day in your life, so it feels a bit like that sometimes.’

A meeting of chance

Around his time in the community, Dr Shmerling met a fellow doctor in training, Dr Kenny Yeoh. They soon realised they shared a vision of how community care could work.

‘We both had this brainchild of having a clinic where we could work alongside people who were doing similar work, and also be part of the team. So, if I had a patient who had autism, for example, they might see a speech therapist for help with their social communication, and a psychologist for help with their anxiety, and an occupational therapist for help with their sensory issues. Instead of having all those services separate, there'd be a more contained team approach that would be under the one roof. And that was where the thought process around the clinic was consolidated.’

Getting down to business

With their vision of efficient community care clear in their minds, it was time to make it a reality – which is easier said than done. It was clear they needed to invest a fair bit of money, and they were sure they wanted to own the space they were in. Initially they liked the idea of converting an old residential property, but planning laws made that too difficult. ‘That led us down the path of buying a commercial space. And I'm glad we did, because we got a much bigger, more dynamic space as a result,’ he says.

While Dr Shmerling and Dr Yeoh weren’t total novices in terms of borrowing money, they didn’t realise the amount of detail they’d need to prove the viability of their plans. ‘It was a bit of a surprise to us that we were being pushed so hard on so much of the minutiae of the project, but it was actually an awesome exercise. We learned a heap about that process from go to woe.’

Their accountant introduced them to BOQ Specialist’s Ursula Coetzee to get started. ‘Ursula was incredible and very patient in guiding us through that journey as well.’ Lucky for them, the project was considered viable and financially responsible, and the pair weren’t knocked back at any point.

Keeping a cool head

After nine months of planning and building, Caring For Kids opened its doors in March 2023. While some may dwell on the stresses of the building process, Dr Shmerling believes in some ways they’re beneficial. ‘Running a business is pretty stressful,’ he says. ‘So, I think it prepares you for some of the stresses that come with that. Kenny and I supported each other through the whole thing. It was really tough at times, dealing with the unexpected stresses of cost blowouts and buildings snags, and just having to deal with a million decisions, but we got there in the end.’