Medicine is service, not science: Physicians should practice humility.

[Guest guest]

The Joy of Medicine - finding meaning in medicine

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Even though medicine has traditionally been regarded as a profession which

provides tremendous job satisfaction, many doctors are finding themselves

increasingly dissatisfied with the practice of medicine. In the past , when

doctors met, they used to talk about the interesting patients they helped to

treat. These days they usually talk about financial stresses, job pressures,

bureaucratic hassles and red tape. Doctors are increasingly toying with the idea

of changing careers , while others are burning out in their mid-forties. Where

has the joy of practicing medicine gone ?

 

In order to find joy in medicine, we need to find meaning in our profession.

Work is an essential part of being alive and physicians are fortunate to work in

a job which can provide so much satisfaction . They are presented with new

challenges daily ; they can apply their mental abilities and their physical

dexterity to successfully solve many of these problems; they are accorded

respect and status; and they have control and autonomy . Unfortunately, many

doctors no longer work for the sake of working - they’re working for a car, a

new house, or a vacation. It’s no longer the work itself that’s important to

them, and this is a shame, because there is such joy in doing work well.

 

We are privileged to help take care of patients, and we need to respect our

role, so we can learn to respect ourselves. If you do what you love and love

what you do , you will find a higher purpose in life - and if you are passionate

about your work , your life will be full of meaning. Getting paid for this

should be seen to be the ultimate bonus !

 

We are fortunate to be doctors, because we can learn so much from our patients.

They bare their heart to us, and make us privy to their innermost confidences,

so that daily we get a ringside view of human drama, suffering, courage, life

and death – the stuff of which life is made ! Doctors have a chance to plumb the

depths of the human soul, as they accompany their patients through their

suffering. Our work lends itself to contemplation and introspection – allowing

us insights which few other people are privileged to have. Our patients can

teach us how to live and how to die – and we need to keep our hearts open to

their lessons. While it is true that daily exposure to misery and suffering can

drain some doctors, causing compassion fatigue; and leave others hardened and

unfeeling, these same experiences can also invigorate and rejuvenate you.

 

Watching patients die should remind you of your own mortality , so that you

remember to learn to live each day well . Seeing very ill patients recover

should renew your sense of amazement at the marvels of the human body , so that

you appreciate the perfection of your own body every day. Observing friends and

loved ones provide comfort and courage to the ill should awaken your own

feelings of compassion, so that you remember to touch all your near and dear

ones with love every day. To live life to the fullest, we need to recapture our

sense of wonder at life daily – and being a doctor allows you the privilege of

doing that at close quarters !

 

It is true that physician morale is declining today, and doctors are hard

pressed to find job satisfaction. However, instead of focusing our efforts on

trying to identify what is wrong with medicine today, we should identify happy

doctors and delve into their secrets. I am sure we all know doctors who still

look forward to each day as an opportunity to do good, and to become more

skilled physicians. We should try to learn from their successes. Many of these

happy physicians may never become the president of the medical association, or

grab media headlines , or be written about in House Calls, but they are the true

stars of our profession, because they have found meaning in their lives. My

personal role model is my father, who is one of the most satisfied people I

know. His primary source of happiness is his patients , and they have provided

him a major source of personal sustenance. He enjoys talking to them, they enjoy

talking to him, and his links with them are deep and personal.

Even more importantly, I have learned that professional satisfaction does not

come from acquiring money, but instead from gaining “social capital” through

community ties. He has numerous extracurricular activities , and is very well

connected with his family, friends and neighbors, and these social bonds

contribute enormously to his satisfaction.

 

The first rule for being a happy doctor is very simple – it simply means caring

for your patients. Treat all your patients like VIPs – whether they come from

Dharavi or from London . Remember that the relationship with our patients is at

the heart of our professional role – and a healthy doctor-patient relationship

can nurture both patient and doctor ! Medicine is really about service, not

science - and the true meaning of medicine is found in the relationships we have

with our patients. Savor your patients. When a patient thanks you for your work

or says that you've become like a family member, stop and relish that moment.

Those moments are the real reward for being a doctor, if you can slow down to

let them in. When it comes to getting positive feedback, no profession in the

world comes close to medicine ! The joy of medicine is in doing good , which is

why patients still confer a special status on us – we need to prove ourselves

worthy of it..

 

Find an area of special interest in your field which you enjoy, and acquire a

depth of knowledge in this focused area. Once you've mastered an area, then

master its intricacies. Not only is it personally rewarding, it'll be

professionally rewarding, as well. Your colleagues will refer problem patients

in this area to you ( allowing you to become even more expert in the topic), and

you will also acquire a reputation amongst patients as being very good in this

area.

If you find your practice has become boring, tedious and monotonous, you need to

recharge your batteries. Be willing to do something new, even if it involves a

risk – after all, if you continue doing the things which bore you, the situation

will get even worse ! You can consider hiring an assistant, to take care of the

parts of medicine you find boring, so you can concentrate on what interests you.

Other doctors have rediscovered joy not by narrowing their scope but broadening

it to encompass a new area of expertise – for example, by exploring alternative

medicine, such as acupuncture, homeopathy and chiropractic.

Try to publish and present your clinical experiences. This will force you to

read the medical literature and provide intellectual discipline as well , as you

have to carefully document your experiences and answer your colleague’s queries.

Advances in medicine depend upon clinical acumen, and if we apply scientific

rigor to our clinical experience , we can all contribute to improving medical

practice. Treasure your rare patients and your difficult cases – they can teach

you the most !

 

Develop humility. Often you will find that the reason you are unhappy in your

professional life is that you have let your ego get out of control. Practicing

medicine can make us feel that we are indispensable, and self-importance is a

serious malady that stands in the way of professional satisfaction.

 

Learn to develop interests and friends outside medicine. While it is true that

medicine can be a demanding mistress, don’t let her take over your life. Good

doctors are well-rounded individuals , who have an open mind and are curious

about everything. Having outside interests will not only make you a better

person , it will also help make you a better doctor, as you apply what you learn

from other fields to your medical practice. For example, I enjoy playing tennis,

and have found that learning how to serve has helped improve my surgical skills

by honing my hand-eye coordination.

 

Do some charitable work – for example, offer a free clinic once a week. One of

the best ways of feeling good about yourself is by doing good for others , with

no strings attached. The gratitude of the patients you see free of charge is

worth much more than any amount of money . As a doctor you have many

opportunities for being altruistic – make the most of them !

 

Don't make the mistake of equating wealth with happiness - the pursuit of wealth

only complicates our search for happiness. . As physicians, we should be

grateful that we get the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives

of others every day – a goal most humans aspire to. Be thankful daily that you

can help others - expressing gratitude is a powerful tool in the search for

contentment and self-worth.

 

 

Most of us become doctors in order to help others, and all of us get this

opportunity to do so on a daily basis, whether we work in Mayo Clinic, or in the

heart of rural India. We should remember how lucky we are to belong to such a

privileged profession. Even in ancient India, vaidyas were considered to be very

fortunate, because their lives offered them the opportunity of fulfilling all

the three aims of a good life – dharma ( religious gain, by relieving the

suffering of patients); artha ( material gain, by building up a rich practice);

and kama ( personal satisfaction, by curing those whom he loves and respects,

and by acquiring fame for his expertise). This is as true today as it has been

through the centuries ! Medicine is a wonderful way to make a living – be glad

you are a doctor and make the most of your profession – for your sake, and for

the sake of your patients !

 

 

 

 

 

posted by Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD @ 11:44 PM

 

www.doctorandpatient.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

>

> (Moderator's Note: If the basis of a system of health care is

based on bad science, misinformation, political manipulation, etc.,

it will be reflected in it's application in spite of well meaning

practicioners. If the root is false, so shall be the fruits.)

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You are right Frank. In fact this is what I had written in response

to this post;

 

Re: The Joy of Medicine.

 

Dear Doctor,

 

True happiness or job satisfaction can come only from being able to

see concrete results. It is the innate frustration among the

physicians at not having the results they crave for that has led

them to be manipulated by the drug industry.

 

The vicious cycle will be very difficult to break. Modern medicine

has held out the concept of " quick cures " and has made medication an

integral part of their practice. While these practices have resulted

in steep popularity, these very factors will lead to its downfall.

 

Today everyone seeks a " quick fix " solution little realising that

disease requires rest and recuperation more than medicines. Disease

is natures way of telling a living organism that it is out of sync

with its environment and that it needs to stop, reflect and correct

itself.

 

Medication is an easy tool and it absolves the patient of all

responsibility. Thus has developed various " lifestyle " diseases.

Unnecessary medication also hampers the body's own healing and

recuperation capabilities.

 

Modern medicine is a diseased entity. It is out of sync with the

reality that the Universe is a interconnected, interdependant web

and not a mechanistic model. It needs to pause, reflect and correct

itself for the sake of its own and also for its patients.

 

And then the joy of medicine will be available once again.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.