President's Message
Hey Doc!
Thomas G. Peters, M.D.
"Hey Doc, can you come over and read this frozen section with me right away?"
"Hey Doc, I talked to the quality improvement people today about that patient."
"Hey Doc, can you chair the hospital ad hoc committee on parking?"
"Honey, don't forget we've got that meeting this evening about the school building project."
Sound familiar? Day-to-day fare in my life, and I suspect in yours, too. The best "Hey Doc," that I get, however, is when a skilled physician is calling upon me for help. Usually in the form of a consult in the hospital setting, or a new patient encounter in the office, the unspoken "Hey Doc" in such cases really is: "I have a patient with a problem; I know that you have the skills to address that problem; and I hold in high regard your application of those skills to my patients." Of course, we don't really say that. What we do is pick up the phone, call the hospital ward, ask for the nurse, and then simply say, "Consult Doctor so-and-so." And, of course, we make that phone call ourselves sometimes.
There follows the familiar process that we all understand. The application of our knowledge and skills goes on in a matter-of-fact fashion. Hopefully, the patient gets better, and all reap the awards of that "Hey Doc." But there is something the consulted physician conveys in the actions taken, even if not spoken to the referring colleague. Oh, we all indicate our thanks for the interesting consult, or we state that it was a pleasure to participate in the care of this patient, or something of that nature. What we really don't say out loud: "Doctor, I am truly complimented that you would think of me to handle this particular patient problem. While my skills are probably those of the ordinary physician, the trust that your call indicates in this case affirms my clinical competency, and I must thank you for the trust which you extend to me."
Amazing! And, it all works. Are there other endeavors of humankind which so clearly affirm effective collegial interaction? I can think of none. The regard in which we hold our skilled colleagues is truly awesome when one thinks a bit about the stakes involved _ people's lives. We learn early in practicing medicine those consultants we can trust, and we stick to them like glue. It is because we are truly helpmates of one another in a complex, never fully defined, and sometimes rapidly evolving situation in which we have learned to help one another.
"Hey Doc, could you come down to the ICU…"
www.dcmsonline.org August-September 2002 / Jacksonville Medicine
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