Last week I was talking about the business end of our
profession, and I was revisiting that topic this past weekend as I
was putting together a business/marketing plan for my future
clinic. As I sat down at my computer, staring at a blank word
document (much as I was doing about 2 minutes ago), I had to come
up with somewhere to start. I was making a plan to become a doctor,
but what is a doctor? What kind of doctor do I want to become? In
all my experiences with physicians in my life (there's been a few,
I was a sickly fella when I was young), one stood out to me, my
allergist Dr. Adler.
I've known Dr. Adler for as long as I can remember, and for that
long he's been more of my teacher than my doctor. I am allergic to
just about everything in nature, so it was crucial for him to
explain to me how to avoid certain triggers. For Dr. Adler, it
wasn't about pushing drugs down my throat, or allergy shots in my
arm, he found it critical for me to understand my problem and find
practical ways to keep it under control.
To be a doctor should also mean to be a teacher. A successful
physician forges relationships with his patients and ultimately
wants them well--what better way than to help teach your patients
how to achieve that goal. It's a "better to teach a man to fish
then to plop a filet down in front of him" kind of a thought. I
hope this is a tip that some of you will take to heart.
One my favorite teachers here in Florida, David "Coach"
Seaman, DC, teaching Tri 5 GI/GU E&M class.
Our Tri 6 crew and I have taken over teaching/mentoring the
Florida chapter of Motion Palpation Club, in hopes to sharpen our
skills as teachers. Start learning how to teach, and practice your
skill where you can.
Time to step down from the soapbox.
I hope everyone has a great week and has a little time to
recharge their batteries before finals roll around. I've
recently tried to pick up a new hobby to get my head out of the
books for a while--helping a buddy make some home-brewed beer. For
those of you who know me, you probably wouldn't be surprised that
my new hobby has something to do with beer. In my opinion, one
needs some kind of hobby to keep their sanity during these nearly 4
years of chiro-madness, and why not have that hobby include making
your own alcohol? Ha ha ha.
Cheers,
Dex