I’m flattered, but I entered the training pathway at a later age than most of my classmates - I’m not exactly a young man. And of course, the best source of information for any disease is the patient, to paraphrase William Osler.
I’m flattered, but I entered the training pathway at a later age than most of my classmates - I’m not exactly a young man. And of course, the best source of information for any disease is the patient, to paraphrase William Osler.
I have immense admiration for my preceptors who are able to simultaneously truly listen to their patient, and make them FEEL listened to, while forming a diagnosis and plan in their head and typing into the chart and communicating empathetically. I hope to reach that level of skill one day!
If you're doing all that while the patient is talking, you may be listening, but you aren't hearing. You can't be, because the part of you that needs to be hearing is busy elsewhere choosing which predetermined solution will fit what you've already decided is the problem.
No matter how old you were when entering the pathway, the information acrued has the same timeline. What Bitteroot is talking about is experience, you don't have that, do you?
I could tell you story after story of Physicians, both Family Practice, Surgeons, ER docs, Psychiatrists, Neurosurgeons etc. that I have had to go one on one against when they thought a patient's problem was "all in their head" (Psychiatrists are the absolute worst!)
In every case but maybe one, the physician was totally wrong in his analysis and diagnosis.
My reward was getting thanked by the patient and knowing that my going one on one with a physician had made the difference in another human being's life.
You will learn, if you have not already, that one of the worst enemies of a physician is their ego. Physicians are humans just like patients are humans.
I do not think less of physicians who I have had to go one on one against when advocating for a patient. I don't fault them for not coming back to me and saying something like, "I'm sorry. You were right. I have a happy patient now."
But I have seen those same physicians listen more to the patient and the patient get the care they needed after I had gone one on one with the physician. There is a deep satisfaction in knowing you had a part in helping a physician and his patient because you were not afraid to go one on one with the physician.
I’m flattered, but I entered the training pathway at a later age than most of my classmates - I’m not exactly a young man. And of course, the best source of information for any disease is the patient, to paraphrase William Osler.
Doctors often don't listen to their patients however :(
I have immense admiration for my preceptors who are able to simultaneously truly listen to their patient, and make them FEEL listened to, while forming a diagnosis and plan in their head and typing into the chart and communicating empathetically. I hope to reach that level of skill one day!
If you're doing all that while the patient is talking, you may be listening, but you aren't hearing. You can't be, because the part of you that needs to be hearing is busy elsewhere choosing which predetermined solution will fit what you've already decided is the problem.
No matter how old you were when entering the pathway, the information acrued has the same timeline. What Bitteroot is talking about is experience, you don't have that, do you?
I could tell you story after story of Physicians, both Family Practice, Surgeons, ER docs, Psychiatrists, Neurosurgeons etc. that I have had to go one on one against when they thought a patient's problem was "all in their head" (Psychiatrists are the absolute worst!)
In every case but maybe one, the physician was totally wrong in his analysis and diagnosis.
My reward was getting thanked by the patient and knowing that my going one on one with a physician had made the difference in another human being's life.
You will learn, if you have not already, that one of the worst enemies of a physician is their ego. Physicians are humans just like patients are humans.
I do not think less of physicians who I have had to go one on one against when advocating for a patient. I don't fault them for not coming back to me and saying something like, "I'm sorry. You were right. I have a happy patient now."
But I have seen those same physicians listen more to the patient and the patient get the care they needed after I had gone one on one with the physician. There is a deep satisfaction in knowing you had a part in helping a physician and his patient because you were not afraid to go one on one with the physician.
Paraphrasing Osler, eh? Nice attempt at appealing to authority.
Anyway, I suspect he was slightly over-promoted, but I doubt he ever said anything so trite, and if he did, well...