Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Meeting your new doctor can come with some baggage

Dana Corriel, MD
Physician
July 8, 2016
81 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I find interesting how much lies in the fate of the day’s mood when it comes to forming a new patient-physician relationship. I can have one of my typical days (and thankfully this is usually the case) in which my mood is great; I stroll into work, after having sipped an entire cup of coffee, maybe nibbled on a Moroccan cookie or two, and donned my white coat and stethoscope, greeting you with a smile.

Or it can be one of those other days. I’m talking days where I cannot function. I can’t explain why because there’s a plethora of reasons for anyone to feel grumpy. Each bad day is different in why it starts, when it starts, or how it plays out. But I can tell you how I feel, inside my coat, behind that specific day’s forced grin. Miserable.

Here’s the catch: It has nothing to do with you! That’s the terrible thing about it. Something in my day has set me off, and you’re the one who’s bearing the brunt of it. And I know it’s not what you expect. Because in a new relationship, the patient often expects his doctor at his all time best, much like in the movies, or on TV.

Take Gray’s Anatomy. They’re all handsome. Always having a great day. Always donning a smile. And, if not, well, they’re still pleasant to be around, laughing heartily at patient banter, bearing their pearly whites … not an ounce of their bad day shows on their face.

I want to be like the doctors on Gray’s Anatomy, but gosh darn it, I can’t! Not on this particular day, when something crabby set me off, and I’m down in the dumps. They said in medical school: Always be kind. Always smile. Exchange pleasantries. Approach the day’s topic with open-ended questions. Steer exchange into a meaningful discussion with appropriate endpoint diagnoses and a plan. Smiling.

But what about those days when I simply can’t? The day I have a migraine, or the day my throat burns so badly, but I cannot excuse myself from work? How about the time I fight with my spouse and storm out our front door, fight unresolved? When my child gets in trouble at school, and it weighs heavy on my mind? Or I simply eat bad food and it sits waiting at the edge of my colon, wreaking havoc on the outlook of the morning’s jam-packed schedule?

We often have just one impression to make before a judgment gets passed by our patient at a new visit. A single impression. It’s just how things go. But on those particular days, most of us simply can’t leave our baggage at the door. We try our hardest to pack light to work, maybe only bring in a carry-on. It’s a metaphor, of course, an emotional packing of sorts. But we’re human, and sometimes we simply need that extra bag. My hope is that our patients understand this, and give us second chances. We work hard, and we deserve it.

But don’t worry, by your next visit we’ll have emptied out our luggage, and you’ll have McDreamy back in no time … and with that smile!

Dana Corriel is an internal medicine physician who blogs at drcorriel.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The perioperative surgical home: What's in a name?

July 7, 2016 Kevin 7
…
Next

Obesity changes the way our endocrine system functions

July 8, 2016 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The perioperative surgical home: What's in a name?
Next Post >
Obesity changes the way our endocrine system functions

More by Dana Corriel, MD

  • Your doctor may need lessons from a used car salesman

    Dana Corriel, MD
  • The human touch in medicine: good or bad?

    Dana Corriel, MD
  • Physicians: scared of social media? Stop and dive in.

    Dana Corriel, MD

Related Posts

  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • Finding a new doctor is like dating

    R. Lynn Barnett
  • Doctor, how are you, really?

    Deborah Courtney
  • Be a human first and a doctor second

    Sarah Murad
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • Becoming a doctor is the epitome of delayed gratification

    Natasha Abadilla

More in Physician

  • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

    Brian Hudes, MD
  • Surgical procedures for inpatients: Addressing socioeconomic urgencies

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

    Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD
  • A message of hope for physicians

    Kim Downey, PT
  • From aversion to office politics to embracing independence

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Navigating medical decision-making: Embracing limits and growth

    Benjamin Wade Frush, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Dying is a selfish business

      Nancie Wiseman Attwater | Conditions
    • Navigating medical decision-making: Embracing limits and growth

      Benjamin Wade Frush, MD | Physician
    • Empathy and compassion in palliative care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Bitcoin’s role in diversified portfolios [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • The pros and cons of whole life insurance for high-income earners

      Shane Tenny, CFP | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 8 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Reduced Mortality Seen in Cancer Survivors Who Meet Exercise Guidelines
  • CDC Advisors Endorse Maternal RSV Vax to Protect Newborns
  • Amoxicillin Alone for Acute Sinusitis Holds Up Against Broad-Spectrum Cousin
  • Despite Taboo, Med Students, Doctors Use Substances Too
  • White House Opens Gun Violence Prevention Office

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Dying is a selfish business

      Nancie Wiseman Attwater | Conditions
    • Navigating medical decision-making: Embracing limits and growth

      Benjamin Wade Frush, MD | Physician
    • Empathy and compassion in palliative care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Bitcoin’s role in diversified portfolios [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • The pros and cons of whole life insurance for high-income earners

      Shane Tenny, CFP | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Meeting your new doctor can come with some baggage
8 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...