Hello
Readers,
In a nutshell, Internal Medicine has been a tremendous
learning experience. Throughout my first week with this group, I have observed
many things. I have observed the trouble that Medicare and Medicaid are causing
doctors and patients alike, the sadness that lingers after a patient asks to be
taken off medication and instead be given hospice, and the anguish the
caregivers have for their wards who alone are faced with an uphill battle of
PTSD and Dementia to name a few. But the overall theme that was outright stated
spoken to me during my week with Dr. M (internist), Dr. R (Otolaryngologist,
who also works in the Internal Medicine office), and Dr. K (another internist
whom I spent a fair amount of time discussing the merits and importance of
psychological endurance) was, “Do something you love, or you will spend the
rest of your life regretting it”.
What resonated the most with my project would be the
general observations I made of the personalities that are in their office. While
Dr. M Dr. V, and Dr. K hold a strong, strict flexible personality, they are
completely contrasted by their staff. Their staff, who are the clerks and
nurses and receptionists, are bubbly, sarcastic, witty, and authoritative
almost to a fault. That is not to say that they are not hardworking. This palpable
difference in personality type has led me to believe more firmly in the idea
that there is no specific personality type for every job. For even Dr. M, Dr.
V, and Dr. K differ in their demeanor and work ethics. Dr. M likes to start and
finish early, she would rather work through lunch and finish all her patients’
charts between appointments then stay late. Before even beginning to fill out
the remainder of his charts from each office visit, Dr. K usually would rather
see all his patients first, eat lunch, and does not seem to mind working later
into the evening. Dr. V on the other hand favors using a Dictaphone over
writing everything into patient charts, he seems to prefer to write the minimum
and voice his opinions into the recording device. Dr. V too shares Dr. M’s need
to power through lunch to get work done, but he also shares Dr. K’s apathetic
nature towards working late.
Despite the obvious
differences in the personalities between Dr. and staff, they work together like
a well-oiled machine. Their personalities, as different as they are, actually
make up for each other’s down fall. The staff makes up for the Dr.’s stringent
nature by being humorous and charming, while the Dr.’s cover for the staff by
being professional almost to a fault. The Dr.’s then also cover for their own
disadvantages by making up for their need to complete work before the end of
the day, their need to enjoy a break in the middle of the day, and their need
to use technology to aid them in less paperwork. They all cover for each other.
With so many personalities in an environment, it is almost hard to say which
personality type would best thrive in Internal Medicine when each office has a
different group of personalities leading in the office. For all one knows
another office could have the exact opposite where the doctors are humorous and
the staff are stringent. There are so many factors outstanding a personality
test that it is near impossible to determine which personality type would best
flourish in Internal Medicine, or Otolaryngology.
With this idea in mind, I hope to observe the same dynamics
when I start next week with Gastroenterology.
Until
then,
Goodbye
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