Читать книгу Start & Run a Medical Practice - Michael Clifford Fabian - Страница 35

It is funny to me that being “patient,” and taking care of a “patient” have the same word in common. According to Longman English Dictionary, “patient” as a noun means: “someone who is receiving medical treatment from a doctor or in a hospital.” As a verb, “patient” means “able to wait calmly for a long time or to accept difficulties, people’s annoying behavior, etc., without becoming angry.” While every dictionary you consult will have a different interpretation of the word, I feel these definitions are very appropriate in the medical context.

It is very important to have patience all along the way. From the outset of your journey toward becoming a medical professional, during further training, while setting up your office, practicing as a doctor and beyond, you will need patience. Life will become very difficult for all involved if you are unreasonably impatient. I use the word “unreasonably” as most people have some form of impatience to varying degrees.

I believe not having sufficient patience will impact on your ability to be happy in this career. For example, picture a family doctor (general practitioner), Dr. Smith, who has practiced medicine for ten years. While inherently being a somewhat impatient individual, Dr. Smith has managed to keep things seemingly under control up until this point.

The situation, however, has now become more difficult. Dr. Smith has a busy and successful practice, seeing about 40 patients a day, which is a lot. He is having difficulty taking the time to listen to the patients like he once did. He seems to cut them off quicker, sometimes even mid-sentence, while they are describing their symptoms to him. He becomes more abrupt with his responses, and lacks the necessary sensitivity that he used to have. At the end of most patient visits, Dr. Smith is standing with his hand on the door handle before the patient is fully content with his explanations, or feeling ready to leave the room. He never used to be like this. This does not make for a happy day in the office, nor does it make for a satisfying or content feeling on the part of the patient.

While there could be many reasons for a doctor developing this type of practice behavior, one would hate to think that this is the result of increasing frustration with a career choice and an acquired intolerance for spending time with patients. You can only hide your true self for so long, and showing your dissatisfaction with a career in medicine is no exception. While this might be something that surreptitiously snuck up during the years, there are things you can do to try and improve the situation. Seeing 40 patients a day is draining for anyone, and simply modifying the schedule and seeing less patients can do wonders for some people.