- Poster #2.

I’m going to respond to this from a patient’s perspective. That may not be welcome, but here goes.

I consider my primary care physician to be the only medical professional I’ve encountered in the past decade who continues living up to the bygone stereotype of doctors being genuinely interested in and eager to help those they treat. He seems to respect that my time has some worth; he doesn’t patronize me by assuming I couldn’t possibly understand medical jargon; he appears to treat his staff with respect; he doesn’t begin consults with assumptions and force any dialogue to fit those preconceived ideas; he makes a noble effort to help me navigate through the fog of bureaucracy that interferes with getting any sort of test or procedure or billing concern handled properly at his very large clinic. I have a great deal of respect for him, and above all else, I trust him.

I’ve also had some interactions with surgeons at his clinic and, most unfortunately, with their legal department — both of which struck me as the most incredibly self-absorbed, ill-mannered, condescending, misanthropic, dishonorable entities I’ve ever encountered in 50 years on this earth. The surgeons simply couldn’t be bothered to communicate. The risk managers had no qualms about lying, about refusing to even acknowledge evidence that refuted their false claims, about treating me like a valueless piece of crap (oh, but as an “honor member” of the clinic’s “Circle of Friends” I continued to get calls from their fundraising dogs for charitable donations all the while…my money remained very welcome there, even if my opinions about a questionable practice or two were cause for capital punishment).

America desperately needs strong, independent, professionally tempered family physicians who can stay above the fray and deliver effective care to our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, our friends and ourselves. That need is never going to go away, and I have immense respect for anyone willing to rise to the challenge.

If that describes you, then the very best of luck to you. I wish you personal, professional, and financial success.

Funny how MD hopefuls, like myself, initially think of medicine purely in terms of helping people (barriers to access, excessive paperwork, and disproportional reimbursement models non-existent). Knowing that I could potentially enter the field under a dysfunctional system gives me the strong desire to turn my head settle with something less gratifying.

Anyone working or on the road to working in primary have any thoughts to help me make a decision? They would be much appreciated…