Top 10 Ways to Know You Have Found Yourself a Good Doctor
Posted Mar 11 2009 3:04pm
This morning, I am off to teach 160 medical students who are graduating and beginning their residency. These are the days I live for!! I created another Top 10 List for them...
1. A good doctor will make you feel like you have a partner in your efforts to get well.
2. A good doctor will care about your whole life, not just your physical problems.
3. A good doctor knows that practicing medicine is about relationships so they will look you in the eye and communicate in a compassionate but concise manner.
4. A good doctor will be your advocate within our complicated system and use his/her position to improve your quality of life.
5. A good doctor will listen to your story like a detective, picking up illness clues as you go along, so that they may solve your illness mystery. And they will do this even when they are in a hurry.
6. A good doctor will be skillful, brave and meticulous while somehow managing to stay humble.
7. A good doctor knows when to think outside the box or bend the rules for the good of the patient/family.
8. A good doctor understands that, sometimes, holding a patient’s hand through difficult times is just as important as prescribing the proper dosage of medication.
9. A good doctor discovers that in order to be an extraordinary caregiver, they must learn how to take good care of themselves first.
10. A good doctor understands that, in their practice, they walk a line between science and mystery every day.
1. A good doctor will make you feel like you have a partner in your efforts to get well.
2. A good doctor will care about your whole life, not just your physical problems.
3. A good doctor knows that practicing medicine is about relationships so they will look you in the eye and communicate in a compassionate but concise manner.
4. A good doctor will be your advocate within our complicated system and use his/her position to improve your quality of life.
5. A good doctor will listen to your story like a detective, picking up illness clues as you go along, so that they may solve your illness mystery. And they will do this even when they are in a hurry.
6. A good doctor will be skillful, brave and meticulous while somehow managing to stay humble.
7. A good doctor knows when to think outside the box or bend the rules for the good of the patient/family.
8. A good doctor understands that, sometimes, holding a patient’s hand through difficult times is just as important as prescribing the proper dosage of medication.
9. A good doctor discovers that in order to be an extraordinary caregiver, they must learn how to take good care of themselves first.
10. A good doctor understands that, in their practice, they walk a line between science and mystery every day.