On being a Caring” physician

I knew I’d found the right uro when one gave me his cell number.

(He’d also been the one who helped me through my rough patch with phone consults. This, and he wasn’t even my doctor at the time. I’d never met him. I couldn’t have done that without knowing he was there).

When a doc and I spend a quarter of the time discussing the issue, and 3 quarters of the time getting to know each other...

As my lawyer says...”I’ll speak to you as your lawyer. Then I’ll speak to you as a friend.”

Good topic

My first MO was fairly cold. He was not interested in entertaining my questions and suggested I let him do the "worrying." Thankfully, he left town. My second MO was the definition of caring, compassion and accepting my input. Sometimes we'd sit there shooting the breeze for a half-hour. He retired. My current MO is pretty good too.

I don't want to talk about my Uro/surgeon other than to say he never learned much about social skills.

I suspect that there are a great many caring physicians out there. Surgeons are not usually that good at it...one said that the need to be detached in the OR (causing intentional injury) makes it hard to not be detached outside of it.

I had the good fortune to have that level of caring doctor in a PCP--no appointment was ever over until he had asked how the kids were doing (he had also been their pediatrician), and a brief chat about life and future plans.