What is a doctor? Technically speaking, a doctor is a person that dedicates his or her knowledge and skills to the prevention and treatment of diseases, while maintaining and even enhancing human health. The majority of physicians enter into the profession of medicine because they are committed to helping others. It is this mission-driven spirit and dedication that makes us grateful for the opportunity each to care for others during a moment when they need it the most. The trust that patients place in their physicians is humbling. Every day is a new opportunity to learn, to grow and the increasing ability to diagnose and treat is inspirational. The process of becoming a physician is not easy. It takes an extraordinary amount of hard work and a sense of dedication that is unique to the profession. Becoming a physician has long been lauded as an honor. As experts in biology, physiology, health, wellness and so many other subjects, some might view a physician as a human encyclopedia. However, referring to a physician as a walking, talking encyclopedia brings to mind the idea that most patients romanticize physicians in such a way as to be almost robotic. Unfortunately, doctors are in fact not robots and are as human as the patients they treat. It is hard to imagine with the long hours and the plethora of medical knowledge needed to competently perform the job well on a daily basis that a physician would ever deviate from the challenging schedules they maneuver on a daily basis with aplomb. However, there are moments in which each physician finds him or herself with the reality that they are no longer in the role of a physician, but the tables have turned, and they are faced with the reality of becoming a patient. Recently, I found myself in that very position. I was now playing the part of being a patient versus my regular role as a resident anesthesiologist. Fortunately, my role as patient presented in a more organized and orderly fashion. However, regardless of the non-emergent nature of my scheduled surgery, it still placed me in the position of feeling powerless. I could control the date, location, and surgeon, but I still felt that so much was out of my hands. On the morning of my procedure, I found that knowing the process that would occur put me at a slight advantage, however looking around at the other patients gathering in the waiting area with their loved ones the anxiety was palpable. From the patient’s perspective, their procedure is hopefully a once in a lifetime event — one that could help alleviate all of their pain or cure their disease permanently. It is a day that could be the beginning or the end of much of their health issues. Yet as an anesthesiologist, it is seen as another day at work. That does not diminish the importance of each patient, but it distances us from the very real feelings each patient is experiencing because of their specific case. Lying in bed waiting for my IV to be placed, it was hard not wear the hat of an anesthesiologist. I wanted to point out where I thought I had the best vein for a stellar IV. I did not initially share that I was an anesthesiologist. However, it quickly became evident that I had a background in medicine, and my role as patient reverted back to that of a physician. No, I did not have to hang my own drugs or fill out my own preoperative check sheet, but I was addressed differently. This shift in dynamic made me realize how difficult it is when a doctor becomes a patient. There are few studies that have explored the challenges that arise when the doctor becomes the patient. It is important to understand the inherent challenges faced when treating physicians. One quantitative study that focused on how physicians provide care to physician-patients examined some issues that arose, such as maintaining professional boundaries and adhering to guidelines. It concluded that further Source
