Last night I went to a lecture on the State of Healthcare after the election. Wow. Big topic. Back to that in a moment.
From the moment I started medical school people have asked me questions about EVERYTHING. I was warned that this would happen but didn't realize how quickly it would happen or how many different subjects I would be expected to be well versed in.
What do you think about health insurance?
Do you want to open your own practice? (aka do you want to start your own business)
How do you feel about charter schools? Public education? Health education?
Do you think that malpractice lawsuits should have caps?
This is where I remind you that I went to medical school. Not law school, business school, an education program or a public policy program. I do not know anything about these topics but I am somehow asked questions about these things all the time. This became a huge issue during the Accountable Care Act debacle and the more recent election where I was suddenly asked for my "professional opinion" about these issues. I can give you my professional opinion about flu shots (get one) and how much juice your kid should drink (4 oz) but when it comes to all this other stuff I'm just as lost as the next person.
One of my dearest friends has just embarked on her journey of "civicization" where she intends to learn more about how to be an involved and active citizen. Join her journey here: http://civicization.com. This has inspired me to try to learn more about what it means to have a "professional opinion" in my profession. Hence my attendance at this lecture.
The first thing I noticed was that there was only one doctor on the panel. One doctor to represent the profession in a lecture on the future of our profession. This is a trend that I've noted in a lot of debates on the subject of healthcare - there are no doctors there! The future of our profession is being dictated by people who are not part of it - which, in my opinion, violates the definition of a profession. This is a larger issue and unfortunately I have no real answers at this point but I hope to keep working to find a balance between taking care of my patients and learning how to advocate for them and my profession throughout my career.
Every day is a school day.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Privileged
Privilege means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Today I reminded what a privilege I have to be involved in people's lives at a time when they are changing.
Today I was covering the hematology/oncology inpatient team while the interns are on their retreat. One of our patients was diagnosed officially with leukemia today and I was privileged to be present at the family meeting where this was discussed with his parents. I cannot even imagine the mind numbing quality of this news - your perfect child has cancer and we are going to start chemotherapy tomorrow. This time last week he was at home playing and being a normal kid. He is, of course, still a normal kid for all intents and purposes, but his path and his story are now completely altered. And there I was. Just sitting there, watching, allowed to be present.
Being present at this kind of meeting is one of the "hallmarks" of being a doctor - the famous "how to give bad news" event. Remember to pause frequently. Follow the parents' lead. Don't give too much information. Don't shy away from the scary words but always leave hope.
Today's conversation went about as well as one could expect it too and I went home today wanting to call everyone I know to tell them how much I love them. Today is the first day in a new journey for this family and I wish them nothing but blessings from here on out.
Today I was covering the hematology/oncology inpatient team while the interns are on their retreat. One of our patients was diagnosed officially with leukemia today and I was privileged to be present at the family meeting where this was discussed with his parents. I cannot even imagine the mind numbing quality of this news - your perfect child has cancer and we are going to start chemotherapy tomorrow. This time last week he was at home playing and being a normal kid. He is, of course, still a normal kid for all intents and purposes, but his path and his story are now completely altered. And there I was. Just sitting there, watching, allowed to be present.
Being present at this kind of meeting is one of the "hallmarks" of being a doctor - the famous "how to give bad news" event. Remember to pause frequently. Follow the parents' lead. Don't give too much information. Don't shy away from the scary words but always leave hope.
Today's conversation went about as well as one could expect it too and I went home today wanting to call everyone I know to tell them how much I love them. Today is the first day in a new journey for this family and I wish them nothing but blessings from here on out.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
It continues...
So I was talking to my amazingly wonderful friend, Justine, the other night about her new blog. To start with, it's amazing and everyone who might read this blog should read it - http://lostonholiday.wordpress.com/
As we were talking about her starting out, I realized how much I miss writing on this blog and realized that my meducacion is far from over and I still have plenty to write about here in the good old USA.
As we were talking about her starting out, I realized how much I miss writing on this blog and realized that my meducacion is far from over and I still have plenty to write about here in the good old USA.
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