Faculty of Medicine
Memorial University of Newfoundland
WASH YOUR HANDS: More bugs than enough are transmitted from hand to mouth, and you can't be a healer if you're laid up with a cold. Don't pick your nose after somebody has sneezed on your hand. Wear gloves at lunch.
BE CAREFUL: "If you don't stick your finger in it you'll stick your foot in it." In medical school the lessons of surgery were more ethereal, while the text books were large, mostly yellow, and full of gross pictures reminiscent of steatorrhoea: pale, bulky and offensive. All surgeons know how to cut, but the wise ones know when not to.
BE PRUDENT: What do you call a doctor who views X-rays by holding them up to the window? The defendant.
BE HUMBLE. YOU'VE EARNED IT: Isn't it amazing how little time doctors take to reflect on pathologists' reports until the subpoena? Most of the tests we use today weren't invented when I was in medical school, but the basis of pathology remains the same concerning the predictability (or lack thereof) of doctors' clinical findings when compared to the autopsy results.
CARE FOR YOUR PATIENT: This is not to say you need to like your patients, but you must care about the what, the why, the where and the when if you are to be his or her doctor. You and your patient need faith that you know what you're doing; hope that things (not lawyers) will turn out for the better, and love (aka: charity, caring, concern).
Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
WHEN OUT IN PUBLIC, LOOK LIKE A DOCTOR: Formal attire and black tie are not required dress at Sunday morning rounds, while jeans and a faded T-shirt might not be your best bet when on the stand as a defendant (see above). However, either may be acceptable for after-hours house calls or deliveries.
BE AVAILABLE, AFFABLE AND ABLE: Some of each keeps a balance, but please note: ability is the last on the list and perhaps the least important.
HIRE AN ACCOUNTANT: Over the years I've saved thousands of dollars (Canadian) by listening to financial advice offered by medical colleagues... and ignoring it. Want to lose money? Buy into another doctor's business venture. Want to make money? Get that other doctor to buy into yours.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF: Nobody else will. Take a nap, Go for a walk. Go home early. Try it one day next week and see if the whole world falls apart. Perhaps it will, perhaps it won't. Once you're died from over work, your appointment schedule will be empty for a long, long time.
Last updated 18 Jun 1997 by 