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| Dr. Welby |
Remember when we were kids, and came down with a cold or the flu and whatever, our Mom called the doctor...and soon after he arrived at your house with his little black Doctor Bag?
Well, those days are gone; and they ain't coming back!
That's the good news. The good news?
Yep, the bad news is....now, the Doctors are gone!
What?
Well, not ALL of them, but
Well, not ALL of them, but
I recently read that we are short about 16,000 primary care doctors — the
very doctors (family practitioners, internists and pediatricians) who
offer the treatments and preventive screenings that save lives and
head off expensive emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Why
the shortage? It starts with huge medical school debts and ends with
a doctor who is often overworked and underpaid. While students may
enter medical school wanting to practice primary care medicine, they
graduate saddled with heavy debt — $250,000 is not unusual —
which prompts them to switch to a more lucrative specialty. The
starting salary for a primary care physician is $150,000 to $170,000;
a radiologist or gastrointerologist can make two to three times that.
It would take SUPERMAN to solve this problem quickly; but since he's not available, extremely effective and competent people like Dr. Reid Blackwelder, Board Chair of the American Acadamy of Family Physicians are working on it, as well as a number of other issues facing the Dr.Welbys of our nation.
And how do I know he's so smart?
Because he's the son of one of the smartest students to ever attend our own Charlotte Central High School...Diana Carpenter White, that's why!
I rest my case.
Here is Dr. Blackwelder's latest message to his fellow physicians. In it, he reminds them to:
"... make sure that you don't turn your back on the sacred nature of the relationships you create and nurture. It can be easy when you're frustrated by changes to allow that frustration to overtake the incredible joy that comes with answering the call to service."
Here's the full text:
Here is Dr. Blackwelder's latest message to his fellow physicians. In it, he reminds them to:
"... make sure that you don't turn your back on the sacred nature of the relationships you create and nurture. It can be easy when you're frustrated by changes to allow that frustration to overtake the incredible joy that comes with answering the call to service."
Here's the full text:
Building Relationships at Core of Family Medicine, Leadership
It's hard to believe that this will be the last blog I write as an AAFP officer. For me, the past six years on the AAFP Board of Directors have flown by. I have had an incredible journey full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. However, one of the most important lessons I have learned is a basic one that is a core trait of being a family physician: It is all about relationships.
Although we say this routinely, it is such a profound truth that it can be overlooked in our busy lives. But when we embrace it, it is the fundamental approach to how we do what we do as family physicians.
Although we say this routinely, it is such a profound truth that it can be overlooked in our busy lives. But when we embrace it, it is the fundamental approach to how we do what we do as family physicians.
| Here I am sharing a laugh with Academy members (clockwise from top) Kim Yu, M.D., Jennifer Bacani McKenney, M.D., and Kevin Wang, M.D., during an AAFP event. Building relationships is critical not only in our practices but also in leadership. |
It is also the foundation on which health care reform must be built. One of the biggest dangers associated with the fragmented and siloed care many Americans still receive derives from a failure to respect this core principle. In all the discussions about primary care, providers, teams and the latest acronyms, we can lose sight of this basic truth: We care for individual people, and we must do so with teams of people who value the uniqueness of that person.
I have been able to travel the country and meet hundreds of AAFP members in their home states. This constantly reminded me to put our relationships into the right context. You are most "yourself" in your natural environment. As an AAFP Board member, and as an officer for the past three years, I needed to have the full understanding of who you are and how you are affected by all the changes that are happening in our health care system. Conversations, phone calls, meetings, notes, emails and social media interactions all helped teach me about you. This allowed me to better represent family physicians and to advocate more forcefully for our specialty.
My wife Alex and I have been welcomed into so many of your chapters, as well as into many people’s homes. We have broken bread together, enjoyed good drink, engaged in stimulating conversation, played music and sang songs, roasted marshmallows around bonfires, hiked incredible vistas, and enjoyed the peace of friendships all over the country. We have felt like a part of your families, and we thank you for that kindness and hospitality.
Life on the road can be challenging. AAFP officers travel more than 200 days a year. One of the things that keeps us going is the sense of connection and appreciation we feel at the many meetings and events we attend. This support makes it much easier to do the important work of engaging different groups outside of family medicine and making sure they know who we are, what we do and why it matters.
Of course, it helps to have a wonderful message. There is nothing better than seeing the light go on in the eyes of a congressional staffer, a legislator or a health care colleague when they finally "get it."
Although we each have our own perspectives, and our individual chapters may have slightly different challenges and priorities, we really are all singing the same song when it comes to the importance and value of family physicians. We are stronger together.
Accordingly, one of the challenges I'll leave each of you with is to make sure that you don't turn your back on the sacred nature of the relationships you create and nurture. It can be easy when you're frustrated by changes to allow that frustration to overtake the incredible joy that comes with answering the call to service. For those of you who are leaders within our national or state academies and in your communities, I challenge you to also seek out and nurture the relationships you create in those roles. It is critical that we truly represent those who depend on us to take their voices forward.
For those who would like to be more involved in leadership, the Academy offers many opportunities. For example, the deadline is fast approaching for state chapters to nominate members for AAFP commissions. I cannot emphasize enough how invigorating it is to move to the next level of involvement. Please jump in -- the water's fine!
My time on the AAFP Board will come to an end later this month when the Congress of Delegates convenes in Denver. Thank you for the tremendous honor of representing you. Although I will not be contributing in this particular forum any longer, you will continue to hear from me. I'm excited about my role on the Family Medicine for America's Health Board of Directors. I also will continue to serve as the Academy's liaison to the CMS Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network guiding committee.
My time on the AAFP Board has prepared me to take on these roles as we continue to navigate challenging waters ahead. I am confident we are moving in the right direction, and that others are seeing family medicine more clearly, listening to us more openly and believing in our message.
Thanks for being on this journey with me. Thanks for your support. And thanks for making me feel like a part of your family.
Reid Blackwelder, M.D., is the Board chair of the AAFP. His term ends Sept. 30.
I have been able to travel the country and meet hundreds of AAFP members in their home states. This constantly reminded me to put our relationships into the right context. You are most "yourself" in your natural environment. As an AAFP Board member, and as an officer for the past three years, I needed to have the full understanding of who you are and how you are affected by all the changes that are happening in our health care system. Conversations, phone calls, meetings, notes, emails and social media interactions all helped teach me about you. This allowed me to better represent family physicians and to advocate more forcefully for our specialty.
My wife Alex and I have been welcomed into so many of your chapters, as well as into many people’s homes. We have broken bread together, enjoyed good drink, engaged in stimulating conversation, played music and sang songs, roasted marshmallows around bonfires, hiked incredible vistas, and enjoyed the peace of friendships all over the country. We have felt like a part of your families, and we thank you for that kindness and hospitality.
Life on the road can be challenging. AAFP officers travel more than 200 days a year. One of the things that keeps us going is the sense of connection and appreciation we feel at the many meetings and events we attend. This support makes it much easier to do the important work of engaging different groups outside of family medicine and making sure they know who we are, what we do and why it matters.
Of course, it helps to have a wonderful message. There is nothing better than seeing the light go on in the eyes of a congressional staffer, a legislator or a health care colleague when they finally "get it."
Although we each have our own perspectives, and our individual chapters may have slightly different challenges and priorities, we really are all singing the same song when it comes to the importance and value of family physicians. We are stronger together.
Accordingly, one of the challenges I'll leave each of you with is to make sure that you don't turn your back on the sacred nature of the relationships you create and nurture. It can be easy when you're frustrated by changes to allow that frustration to overtake the incredible joy that comes with answering the call to service. For those of you who are leaders within our national or state academies and in your communities, I challenge you to also seek out and nurture the relationships you create in those roles. It is critical that we truly represent those who depend on us to take their voices forward.
For those who would like to be more involved in leadership, the Academy offers many opportunities. For example, the deadline is fast approaching for state chapters to nominate members for AAFP commissions. I cannot emphasize enough how invigorating it is to move to the next level of involvement. Please jump in -- the water's fine!
My time on the AAFP Board will come to an end later this month when the Congress of Delegates convenes in Denver. Thank you for the tremendous honor of representing you. Although I will not be contributing in this particular forum any longer, you will continue to hear from me. I'm excited about my role on the Family Medicine for America's Health Board of Directors. I also will continue to serve as the Academy's liaison to the CMS Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network guiding committee.
My time on the AAFP Board has prepared me to take on these roles as we continue to navigate challenging waters ahead. I am confident we are moving in the right direction, and that others are seeing family medicine more clearly, listening to us more openly and believing in our message.
Thanks for being on this journey with me. Thanks for your support. And thanks for making me feel like a part of your family.
Reid Blackwelder, M.D., is the Board chair of the AAFP. His term ends Sept. 30.
Thanks Doc. I feel better already.
-Ed
