Good Evening Ladies and Germs!
I’ve been a pediatrician now for more than 20 years. I thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of the things I’ve learnt during this period.
After 20 years of pediatrics….
– Kids are still awesome
– Experience is the best teacher. As a medical student I worked with a pediatrician who was probably about as old as I am now. He mentioned that one irony of pediatrics is that young couples often prefer a young pediatrician. He continued saying, “but I am such a better doctor now than when I first got out of residency.” This was surprising to me, I thought that when you finished training you were the top of your field. Now I understand that statement.
– I would put my physical exam skills up against any doctor in the world
– Emotional IQ in pediatrics is as important as your intelligence IQ (yes, that’s redundant)
– If you work with an energy vampire who puts others down to make itself look better, avoid it. Don’t be nice to it.. it will only drain you faster
– Time has proven me to be an excellent doctor and a lousy businessman
– When I first started my career I worked with a doctor who was very skeptical of the American Academy of Pediatrics. I, on the other hand, looked at the AAP like their word was gospel. Now I see they are just doctors with opinions and their opinions are no more valid than my own
– I never thought medicine would become political, but it has. This is sad.
– Taking a personality test and discovering that I’m an INFJ has helped me understand myself and realize that all INFJs live their entire lives feeling as though they’ve been miscast in a play
– I still feel uncomfortable walking into the doctor’s lounge at the hospital
– I’m a much better doctor in an exam room than a doctor in a hospital board room sitting in on some committee meeting
– Children love you for who you are
Dr B