Not all of us physicians get to literally save lives on a regular basis. There are the surgeons who take out cancers and give patients their cure. There are the cardiologists who literally breathe life back into the hearts of patients. There are the ER physicians who bring patients back from the brink of death.
Internists don’t get a lot of thanks for treating diabetes, improving blood pressures, or fixing hyponatremia. We don’t get that satisfying feeling of accomplishment when metrics are met, and the patients have fulfilled vaccination and screening requirements. We feel beaten by endless in-basket messages and prior authorization requests. But then, there are moments in which patients give us affirmation on why we keep doing what we do despite all the frustrations.
This happened to me not so long ago at the end of a patient visit. I was running behind as usual, and the visit was finished… until the patient said she had one more thing she needed. “What can I do for you?” I asked. She said, “I need you to sign a document.” She went on to say, “I would like you to sign a contract that says you will be my doctor until I die.” I was completely caught off guard as our visit was a regular follow-up visit. We had not discussed anything earth-shattering. What a gift she gave me in that moment. I got rewarded again later that afternoon because I told that story to another patient, and she said, “I want you to sign that contract for me too.”
We need to remember to look for moments like these and savor them. They are the life force that sustains our innate need to help people and that gives us joy in our work. They may come from patients, staff, or even strangers. We also need to share these stories with each other as they serve as reminders of our humanity.
If you have a story, big or small, meaningful or just comical, I would like to ask that you share that with our fellow Lexington physicians. Please send those stories to me (christine.ko@bhsi.com) or Cindy Madison (cmadison@lexingtondoctors.org), and we will share them in the Lexington Medical Society newsletter. I believe as physicians, we have the honor of serving patients, and despite the struggles and frustrations we face, our connections and support of each other is what is going to help us forge ahead one day at a time. Thank you for being a member of the Lexington Medical Society and the Kentucky Medical Association and Happy New Year’s to you and your families.
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