A Physician’s Fantasy World: The Ideal Medical Practice
Medscape has a physician portal and they asked the question: “Where would you like to practice medicine?” The responses from physicians were varied with lots of complaining and joking like “Dubai”, but this reply from a family medicine doctor got my attention. I think he speaks for many physicians.
- I would like to work in a fantasy world.
- One where I didn’t have to worry about someones economic status.
- Where I could diagnosis and treat and feel confident the patient would actually follow my advice. Where their education level allowed them to be able to read a Rx bottle. And remotely comprehend what I take so long to explain, over and over to them.
- Where we worked to benefit people as best we could, while not being burnt out or abused.
- Where we didn’t have to work for a life time to pay off overwhelming school debts.
- Where 3rd party payers, in business to make a profit not provide health care, were a myth.
- Where the legal profession spent time trying to help people, and not as leeches on society, sucking cash out of patient care at any opportunity, often creating the opportunities themselves.
- Where I had the chance to continuously learn rather then spend endless days of clinic drone drudgery. Education limited to reading after a bone weary long day, or compressed into 1 week a year.
- Where all my fellow physicians, worked together for the common good, patients and ours. Advancing medical care, rather than focus on their niche or profits.
- Finally a land where what I did was appreciated. Where my days were not spent in an adversarial relationship with just about everyone, in my struggles to make a difference in a world that just doesn’t seem to care if the difference is made or not.
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
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