DECATUR — The Decatur Medi Clinic announced this week that Dr. Kim Silver has been added to its staff.

She will be joining physician assistant Veronica Dockery, who has practiced in Decatur for several years.

“We are pleased that she is here. It has been a long search, but our patience has been rewarded,” clinic adminstrator Mike McCollum said.

Silver is a graduate of Mississippi State University Medical School in Jackson, Miss. She served as a general practitioner in Picayune, Miss., and recently completed her residency in family practice in Texarkana.

Silver is a self-proclaimed country girl who was born and raised on a 12 acre farm near McNeill, Miss. She started her first job as a dishwasher at a local restaurant at the age of 13; and by the time she was 16, she had graduated to waitress.

Silver said she has always wanted to be a doctor. Her interest in the medical field was cemented when she was involved in a car accident at age 11. After spending three and a half months in the hospital, she fell in love with the medical profession.

By the time Silver was 17, she was working as a pharmacy technician while attending Emergency Medical Technician school and nursing school at the same time. She worked for two years as an EMT and 16 years as a nurse before going back to school to become a doctor.

“I love taking care of people. I don’t like being a doctor, I love being a doctor,” Silver said.

Silver said she fell in love with Decatur within minutes. Silver has made a commitment to the community. She lives in Decatur with her husband, Jeffrey Silver, and their 7-year-old son, who started school at Northside Elementary School last week.

“I love small communities, and the people here are already like family,” she said.

As a busy doctor and mom, Silver doesn’t have a lot of spare time, but her other interests are reading, swimming, horseback riding, hunting and fishing.

McCollum thanked the community for its patience while the clinic searched for a physician and said he expects Silver to be here for many years to come.

The Decatur Medi Clinic is located at 346 North Main Street and can be reached at 752-3233.

Sports, Pages 9 on 09/12/2012