04/24/2022
I was just sitting here thinking about something. Follow me on this. Yesterday I saw close to 30 patients in my office. I must have answered 100 emails. I returned multiple patient calls and got home after 8. Every single interaction except for 1 or 2 that I had was someone asking me for help or needing a favor. In that 24 hour period, not a single person reached out to simply ask me how am I doing or do I need anything. As a physician, the majority of my life is spent managing the needs of others. In the eyes of the public, we are not allowed to be moody or have a bad day. We are not expected to have feelings unless the feelings are focused on you and your needs. No one really takes the time or cares to find out if we are ok. Some of you may say, "well that's the job you chose". You are absolutely right.
However, we are still human. I did a little experiment.
I spent a couple of months waiting to see who would
reach out to say “hello” or “how are you” without me
prompting or reaching out first. After a few weeks, I got a few texts from a couple of friends, "are you ok? I haven't heard from you." However, the majority of people who I normally check in with regularly have remained silent. It has taught me how self-centered we as a society can be. We get butt-hurt when others don't take the initiative. Understand that communication is a 2-way street. I point this out to say this. Those of us in healthcare are here for all of you anytime whenever you need us without question or hesitation. It can be a thankless venture. Is it too much to ask that maybe you show some gratitude and check in on us from time to time? And by the way, I am great. Couldn't be better. Thank you for asking. It's . Enjoy!