Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Touch:The Journal Of Healing

Check out the January 2011 edition of the Touch: The Journal of Healing. Two of my poems were selected.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Why I Feel Shame

In response to commenters on my last post. Why I feel shame (from KevinMD):

Are physicians motivated by virtue or are they passive victims?: "Often the individual likes their physicians and thinks of him or her as a “knight.” This is the belief that the physician has the patient’s best interests in mind at all times and takes the needed steps to be sure that the patient is always placed first. But society overall does not think this way of physicians. To most, physicians have long ago lost their “Marcus Welby” status and instead are driven by the desire for a high income, reduced work load and less attention to the patient and the patient’s needs. With this sort of attitude, society through its elected officials and through the insurance apparatus erects many polices and procedures to guard against the “knave” doing harm, reaping too much income, etc"

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

On Being A Doctor

Dr Wes said a few words and then we settled in for the movie. A documentary. the crowd was about one third physicians. The others undoubtedly physician supporters. Family, friends, nurses, hospital staff.

Of course it was preaching to the crowd. A story of a physician who found doctoring much less then expected. Stressful, time consuming, frustrating. So rarely did he feel like he was doing what he went to medical school to do...helping his fellow man.

Some in the crowd shook their head in agreement. Others nodded vigorously in disapproval.

And the lights came up. Dr Wes said a few more words. Then Nancy Pando asked the physicians in the room to stand. Reluctantly men and woman arose and looked around. Then something unexpected happened. The crowd started to applause. Loudly and with exuberance.

And briefly I felt profound pride in myself and my profession.

Sadly this gratifying moment was quickly overshadowed by a sobering realization.

Although I cant explain why......lately I feel something completely different in relation to being a physician...

overwhelming shame.