As doctors, we are like actors or musicians. We play roles, we play compositions that can reach deeply into the consciousness of other human beings. We can evoke feelings and sometimes bring about change if we are skilled and genuine in our delivery of the message our patients need to hear in the moment we meet them.
This is a topic I keep coming back to, with words like ACT, CHAMELEON and ROLE PLAY. I write pieces like the ones below and I use words like these with the most sincere and genuine purpose - to be the kind of doctor each of my patients needs in the moment they seek my help.
Here are three such essays from my archives:
IF YOU ARE A DOCTOR, ACT LIKE ONE
Osler said “Listen to your patient, he is telling you the diagnosis”. Duvefelt says “Listen to your patient, he is telling you what kind of doctor he needs you to be – Yours Truly
It cannot be said enough: Ours is a relationship based vocation. Unless you are doing autopsies for a living, you need to establish rapport with real, live human beings in need of something, with fears or suffering, with past experiences and future hopes.
https://acdw.substack.com/p/if-you-are-a-doctor-act-like-one
BE THE DOCTOR EACH PATIENT NEEDS
Doctors need to be true to themselves but at the same time they must be chameleons.
A doctor fills certain roles in the lives and stories of patients. It is a two-way relationship that looks different to each person we serve throughout every workday and even in the most casual interactions we have.
Some patients need us to take charge for a while because they’re exhausted, others need us to listen quietly while they vent or process something out loud.
https://acdw.substack.com/p/be-the-doctor-each-patient-needs
ROLE PLAY
We sometimes find ourselves in a position where we are uniquely able to challenge our patients by saying things they wouldn’t even let their own families tell them, just because we are their doctors, because of the authority they consciously or subconsciously are willing to give us.
Again and again I find myself in situations where I, the person, might hesitate about what to say or do, but I, the doctor, sense what my archetypal role is for that patient in that moment.
Hi there,
I enjoy your writing. I’m a gastroenterologist based in Cleveland, and at this point in my career, I've developed an interest in generating dialogue about issues within the medical field. I thought my work might be a fit for you and your audience. My latest post is about when doctors should refer patients for a second opinion. I hope you'll consider reading it and sharing your thoughts. All best--
https://mkirsch.substack.com/p/when-should-your-doctor-refer-for