Chairman's Message => Autumn 2006

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The Chairman's Message

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Collegiality => Autumn 2006

First, I hope I saw many of you at the District IV Annual Meeting held recently at the Breakers in Palm Beach. It is interesting to compare the District meeting with our own Section meeting held earlier this summer at the same venue. Florida is, of course, the largest state member in District IV, which is the largest of our ACOG districts. Please plan in advance to attend these important and educational meetings held in July–August and October every year.

My topic for this newsletter is "collegiality." I'm quite sure of my topic but not quite sure of the title. I checked with the dictionary and found this: collegiality: the cooperative relationship of colleagues. I'm thinking more of the caring cooperation that seemed more prevalent in the earlier years of my practice. When I read the draft of my column I seem to sound a lot like a grandfather. Shucks, I am a grandfather! Financial pressures and bureaucratic rules now drive so much of our behavior. Here is an early example of caring: My wife Hilda needed a minor but significant outpatient surgery. The surgeon called me on the successful completion of the procedure. He felt it an honor and privilege to care for a colleague's spouse. Not only were any insurance deductibles waived but his office also sent me the check he received in payment from my insurance company. (That would be illegal now.) Although we must work within insurance and government guidelines, remember it is our special privilege to care for the families of our brother and sister physicians. Understand the confidence expressed in you and your office when a physician or a physician's family member comes under your care.

Most of us know colleagues who have had problems with their marital situation or with their children. Consider asking these friends if they would like to talk or discuss their situation. As physicians we are paid to give advice both mornings and evenings. We often don't allow any tolerance of our personal circumstances. I remember a friend who was moping about the surgical lounge as we finished our day. I knew something was amiss but chose "not to interfere." Later that week he tragically ended his life. I rather doubt that my intervention would have prevented this tragedy, but I do now ask if a fellow physician needs support when I see behavioral change. We have learned to read the emotional level of our patients from many encounters over time. This skill works as well with friends, family and colleagues. Physicians often neglect or avoid needed therapy for depression, anger management, or alcoholism for fear of the stigma of psychiatric care or mental illness. We are as likely or more so to be afflicted with such common problems. Few outside another physician can approach these topics with one of our own.

Our pre-medical education was rigorous, but the years in medical school and our residencies fired us in a unique fashion. I truly believe that only those who have experienced medical education can ever understand this experience. Not only were we prepared to take on the most special yet humbling practice of medicine, but also we bonded with our fellow students in the most lasting fashion. Sharing the excitement, fears, successes and failures of these years created friendships that last through time. So remember that the new doctor in the department or the old one at the medical society shared similar experiences—only in a different time, hospital or laboratory. Remember to treat them with the same care and respect as you would for your best friends from your graduating class. We need one another more now than at any other time.