Photo Credit: ClaraDon / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
When the first snow fell this season, the flurries brought with them the memories of past holiday seasons and anticipation of the one to come. My thoughts immediately went to my favorite of all holidays: Thanksgiving! The day when you gather with friends and family, eat an enormous meal, and are reminded about the good things in your life for which you are thankful. In today’s fast paced world (particularly the fast paced world of a resident and/or fellow) it is nice to have a formal day set aside that reminds you to be thankful.
This year, as with many years over medical school and residency, I am working on Thanksgiving. That means I will be up at 5:00 AM, seeing patients from 6:00 AM until 1:00 PM and then will respond to pages with patients’ concerns, questions, and emergencies for the rest of the afternoon and night. Thinking ahead to this reminded me of how uniquely positioned we, as physicians, are to touch people’s lives. Think of the number of businesses and services that are open and ready to care for people on the Holiday…there are not a lot.
As I pondered this aspect of giving thanks more, it extended to being a physician in general, not just being on call on the holidays. In modern medicine today, there are many things that are at the forefront of conversation: malpractice suits, healthcare insurance and policy changes, over-scheduling, duty hours, and the list goes on and on. With all of this talk, it is easy to forget some of the reasons we went into medicine in the first place. For all of us, at least in some part, a lot had to do with being able to help someone when no one else could. That is to say, one of the biggest rewards is the moment when a fellow human looks at us and gives us a genuine “Thank you.”
Refocusing on this facet of patient care, which drew us to medicine in the first place, will not solve the healthcare crisis faced in the United States and worldwide. It alone cannot solve the problems of the un- or underinsured. The overcrowding of physicians’ offices, the ever-shrinking minutes we spend with each patient, or the growing physician shortage. It can, however, make us more content, with the changing face of medicine. It can also make us more motivated to be an active participant in the processes driving the changes in healthcare so that we can protect this relationship.
So this post goes out to those of you who are away from your family and working this Thanksgiving holiday. You are not alone. Although it may not be the first thought you have in this circumstance, take time to give thanks and focus on the good things that drew you to medicine in the first place. It will change your perspective and help you enjoy the experience more fully…and if you get a free moment see if you can get an on call feast in between patients!
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