A Vote To Reimagine Residency

I can’t say I knew much about medicine when I decided to become a physician. There were no physicians in my family. I had yet to learn about cells, anatomy, or antibiotics. I didn’t watch ER. I had no concept of health insurance, deductibles, or co-pays. But I understood fairness. And, as a young boy in Colorado, I watched loved ones—with addiction, cancer, and other ailments—suffer the misfortune of illness and the injustice of unmet medical needs. I saw in medicine an opportunity to find voice and to remedy the unfairness around me, to address failed policies. Medicine and Politics On November 8, I cast my first vote as a physician, having started residency in internal medicine in June. I waited in a long line, inside the local public housing authority, surrounded by men and women of all ages and vocations. No one spoke of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. But everyone exuded quiet excitement and appreciation for the opportunity to vote — to give voice to their convictions. I rushed from the voting booth to my clinic to see patients. I slipped on my stethoscope and badge, placing my “I Voted” sticker over my name, eager for a more unified and harmonious nation. I examined a patient with an upper respiratory infection, carefully listening to her lungs as she took deep, measured breaths. I counseled another patient on diet and exercise, as he described escalating stressors at home. But, on this day, my first professional act was my vote. Medicine and ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Featured Health Professionals ACGME general medical education physicians perspective residency Source Type: blogs