Lessons Learned from the Best Job in Town
Introduction
Greetings, everyone! Please let it be known that my lowest ACT score was in English — yikes! Bear with me as I bumble through my first blog post — and hopefully my last. "Last" you say? Well, yes, because I am heading toward retirement sometime this year. Stay tuned for the actual date.
I kicked around a few ideas for these scintillating few paragraphs and nothing brilliant came to mind, so you’re stuck with lessons I have learned — or almost learned. (Gulp!)
I have been a family physician for about 30 years now, and I have no regrets. I feel I did almost everything a family physician could do. I delivered babies, I did inpatient work, I did tons of ED work, despite not being a "real ED" physician. I entered the murky world called "administration" and was a CQO and CMO for three different institutions and was medical director at four different hospital EDs. Some would say "Guess he can’t hold a job!" I wondered the same thing as I went from teaching at both Saint Francis Medical Center and Methodist family medicine programs to the enduring land of the vice presidents.
Let me give you some lessons I have learned from colleagues, nursing, administrators and most of all patients:
Lesson 1
When leading meetings, try not to swear. I’m not sure I tried very hard early in my career, but I was blessed with an executive coach who worked miracles.
Lesson 2
This lesson was given to me by one of my ED nurses after I had been a total jerk to one of our patients and then somehow turned it around, and the patient actually thanked me for seeing him. My nurse said and I quote: “That was amazing Dr. Anderson, you really did a great job with that patient, but you might want to do that at the beginning of the visit rather than going in as a total jerk and having to convince the patient you shouldn’t be fired!” Advice I have never forgotten — not sure I have it quite perfected yet, but I’m getting closer every day.
Lesson 3
Don’t go into administration if you hate sitting in meetings — typically starting at 6 a.m. (when doctors are available) and 7 p.m. (Administrators like free dinners, and so do doctors!)
Lesson 4
Realize you are blessed! You’re a physician, and you have the sincere privilege to see people in situations where no one else does. Remember, the patient is the boss. (And so is your spouse, and so is your nurse!) We are here to serve the patients.
It gets hard sometimes, but hang in there! As I have discovered over my career, we do have the best job in town.
About the Author
Dr. Rick Anderson is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He is Associate Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency – Bloomington program.