Dr. Steven Takas
Board-certified pediatrician, Steven Takas, M.D., M.B.A., opens a private practice in Key West and joins the active medical staff at Lower Keys Medical Center
For the past 12 years, Dr. Takas has practiced as a pediatrician in a variety of settings in North Carolina and Florida, including inpatient care, large group practice, and solo practice.
Hailing from a family of physicians, Dr. Takas became a pediatrician, he laughs, “because my mother told me so!” His mother is a pulmonologist who loves the field of pediatrics, and both his father and brother are OB/GYNs (obstetrician-gynecologists). He says, “Pediatrics and obstetrics are happy fields in medicine.”
As a pediatrician, Dr. Takas sees patients ranging in age from newborn to 21 years old. He enjoys his profession because of his patients. He says, “Kids are fantastic patients. They always say something funny. Lately a five year old volunteered the information that he wanted to be a taxidermist. I heard Marine Biologist before, but never this one!” He continues, “Kids are cheerful and usually happy. Even when something is wrong, there is cheer in the room.” Another aspect of pediatrics he appreciates is the nature of his patients’ medical problems. He states, “Their problems can usually be fixed. They actually get better.” He feels gratified when he sees most of his patients’ problems resolved.
Born and raised in Hungary, Dr. Takas is fluent in English, Spanish, Hungarian, and Russian. While working in North Carolina, he says that about half of them spoke only Spanish, and no English. To better meet the needs of his patients, Dr. Takas decided to go to Spain for an intensive language course. In addition to overcoming language barriers, Dr. Takas takes into account other factors that might affect the physician-patient interaction. He is cognizant of his patients’ varied backgrounds and treats each as a unique individual. He says, “Every patient is different. I always tailor my message to the person’s education level, culture, and level of understanding.”
In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Takas also holds an M.B.A. from East Carolina University. He finds that the business degree “helps a little bit to navigate thru the maze of the healthcare industry.” He articulates, “American healthcare is so expensive compared to other countries. The business degree helps me to understand the administrative side of medicine better.”
His philosophy towards his patients is to treat them with “absolute honesty, even when I have to admit my doubts.” He cites antibiotics as an example. Commonly, parents will bring sick children to him and expect to leave with medications. He says, “Most of the time it’s a virus, and it’s not responsible to just push medications when it won’t help. Instead, I try to reduce the use of antibiotics and focus more on patient education and other ways to make the child feel better.” At the core of his practice, Dr. Takas prioritizes patient care and honesty. He says, “I am here to help. I can not be offended or made angry by a patient. I leave at home the elements of my personality not needed for patient care.”
Describing himself as “a decent, hardworking no nonsense guy,” Dr. Takas is excited to join the staff at LKMC. He says that in his life, “the moves and changes have always turned out to be good. No matter what life gives you, you need to make a conscious decision to make the most of it.”