The President's message is written personally by the President each month and all opinions expressed within are his/her individual opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Academy, its affiliates or its employees.
January can be such a dull month. Not only is the excitement of the holidays over and the weather is oftentimes dreary, cold and snowy, but a new year usually means new insurance coverage, new prior authorizations and a new series of headaches for us family medicine physicians who are all just trying to do the right thing for our patients.
During such busy and trying times like this, I find it helpful to reflect upon what initially drew me in to pursuing the field of family medicine and why I continue to find this career so meaningful and rewarding despite the long hours and seemingly endless work load.
It’s that continuity of care that we get with our patients. What other medical specialty can truly say that they follow their patients in the long term to the extent and thoroughness that a family physician does?
We are the only physicians who have the training to practice true cradle to grave medicine, and what an honor that is. Having the privilege of having my patients call me “their” doctor. The trust that we build with them. Being their first point of contact with the medical system and then helping to drive their care forward from there is not something to be taken lightly. The stories that our patients tell us—being with them through some of their most joyous and also some of their most difficult times is a true testament to our superpower as family physicians—relationship building, connection and true compassion for the human condition. Nothing brings me more joy than being able to truly connect with a patient and with their families. The ability to care for the entire family unit, including multiple generations, is incredible and very fulfilling. Practicing prenatal care, delivering babies, taking care of mom, dad and baby in to the future and also seeing their sisters, brothers, cousins and grandparents as their family physician is both awe-inspiring and truly unmatched in any other specialty. Following patients through true continuity of care on both the outpatient side of things but also during their inpatient hospitalizations brings a whole new level of personalization, perspective and appreciation for patient care. Reaching out to our shut-in patients for tailored home visits, rounding on nursing home patients, engaging in empathetic end of life care and delivering education to an entire community are just a few other ways that we as family medicine physicians make a positive impact every day. Unlike so many other medical specialties that see patients briefly or for only one episode of care, we are never left wondering what happens to them in follow-up or in the future because we are seeing them back and continuing to care for them year after year. I cannot imagine working in another field of medicine where one would not have the opportunity to build such long term, interwoven, continuous and deeper relationships with their patients.
As family physicians, we are truly focused on preventative care, and that is something that I think is very much lacking in today’s medical landscape. I have oftentimes wondered how much really would need to be treated by a specialist if we first and foremost focused on preventing illness and chronic disease from developing in the first place? Everyone wants a quick fix for every ailment, but sometimes the best medicine is really just simple lifestyle changes and human connection, not always prescribing another pill or injection. Our specialty is uniquely positioned to discuss with and partner with our patients in achieving positive lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol cessation, proper sleep hygiene and appropriate attention to mental health amongst a myriad of other important issues. Over the past few years, there has been increasing emphasis on the importance of social determinants of health as a driver of overall wellbeing, and who is better equipped than a family medicine physician to address these in our holistic and whole-person approach to medicine. I have gained great respect for the breadth and depth of our specialty, and how we can use that to positively impact the everyday life of the patients and the communities in which we live and serve.
Speaking of breadth and depth of specialties, it is not lost on us that family medicine doctors need to know a little (and sometimes a lot) about wide variety of topics. The amount of knowledge that we must acquire and be able to apply directly in the exam room and to the care of our patients is staggering, yet I try to view it all as a positive challenge. Instead of focusing on just one area or topic that we learned in medical school, we get to utilize it all. Being a family physician is an exercise in lifelong learning and self improvement, and although it is humbling to realize that no one can ever know everything, it is also refreshing to think that we will never grow bored or run out of new things to learn!
And now that we are on the subject of boredom, I cannot remember the last time that I ever felt bored at work or with my job. One of the most delightful and engaging parts of being a family physician in that you never know exactly how your day is going to go. Anything can walk through the door of your clinic, and patients often want to discuss things that their visit was not originally scheduled for--- or conversely, in the process of speaking with and examining our patients we discover something new that needs to be addressed now that the patient did not anticipate. Being a family physician is a lot like being a detective—piecing together patient histories, exam findings and diagnostic results to arrive at a diagnosis or next step in management of the patient’s condition is mentally stimulating and helps to keep us curious, honest and agile.
Not only are we excellent at patient care, but we family medicine doctors should also view ourselves as the ultimate teacher. Not only do we teach our patients every day, but we also serve as role models and instructors for medical students and residents, the next generation of family physicians. Attracting the brightest and most compassionate individuals to our medical specialty, and then helping to grow and foster their development as a family doctor is one of the best ways that we can give back to our specialty and to our patients long in to the future. Having the opportunity to teach and mentor medical learners brings so much more joy and accomplishment to one’s career.
Lastly, family medicine doctors are uniquely positioned to serve as excellent leaders in both their organizations and communities. We are the voice of reason in medicine, and in today’s turbulent times, it is important now more than ever that we embrace this role. We are the experts on vaccination and educating the public and our patients on the importance of this and other pressing public health measures. We know the importance of healthy diet and nutrition, and the most nutritious foods that we should be promoting to our patients for daily consumption. We can help to counter so much medical misinformation that exists today, and much of this can be done with the advantage of the long term relationships and trust that we are so good at building with patients now and in to the future.
So the next time that someone asks me, ‘why family medicine?’ I can confidently say, ‘why not?’ This is truly the best job on the planet, and I am honored and grateful to be in this profession every day.
