RE-IMAGINE

After 2.5 years of shifting how we do medicine and finding health and healing in a period of unrest - I think we need even more power behind reimagining how we care for our patients; to collectively rethink how we offer that care and the kind of care we should be offering. 

That said, we need to start with us. As physicians, to rediscover what it means to be a physician, serving our patients and not corporate policy or a fragmented health system. We need the space to discover what brings us deep satisfaction; To pursue a life and lifestyle that is commensurate with living out the healthy lifestyle we wish for our patients. This year, I made a major request of my employer, I asked to reduce my clinic hours even further, negotiating the opportunity to work from home to incorporate telehealth visits and to work on community-based projects that bring me joy but also, I believe undoubtedly will increase the health of my community. 

With this increase flexibility, I feel an incredible weight lifted off my shoulders. I can be a better mom, a better wife, and a better me. I get to schedule patients around pick-ups and drops offs for my son, add cutting onions in between patient encounters for dinners. I continue to take patient phone calls outside of our regular clinic hours which I have done before but now I do it without feeling overwhelmed and inadequately compensated.  

Perhaps the greatest question we ask our ourselves as a someone who has dedicated their life practice to the caring of others, is making these choices for myself, am I providing better care? And the answer is undoubtedly YES.