D epartment
of
M edicine
Con ne c ti ng T e c h n o lo g y , Ed uca t i o n a n d D i s cove ry w ith H um anis m in Me dicine
Vol. 4 Issue 3 July 2015
Department of Internal Medicine 2015 Group Photo
LEARNING BY DISCOVERY by Dr. Ronald Lands on a gurney, and although I did not know him at the time, Dr. Stollerman. The resident summarized the lady’s case without notes or prompts. Dr. Stollerman asked him a few questions, then he asked a few more of the patient. He then turned to the audience and spoke extemporaneously for an hour about what he thought she had and why he thought it. I left that morning, convinced that I wanted do whatever it was he had just done; to dissect a history, identify subtle physical clues, and make an irrefutable diagnosis. I presented my first patient to Dr. Stollerman on Chief’s Rounds as an M3 and many more times as an intern and resident. The anxieties of measuring up did not weaken, and the feeling that one could never know enough only increased. Dr. Stollerman’s study guide consisted of two simple points. Always read about your patients and always carry a tablet or index cards
Gene Stollerman, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine for almost 20 years at City of Memphis Hospitals, died August 1, 2014, at the age of 93. During his lifetime, he accumulated a formidable list of accomplishments, including hundreds of textbook chapters, journal articles, books and monographs. He held dozens of prestigious editorial posts and leadership positions in national and international societies and agencies and acquired many awards for service, education, research and patient care. I first saw him when I was a medical student, still slogging through the basic sciences. Our curriculum included a clinical correlations course, which among other activities, required my class to attend Medicine Grand Rounds. That morning, we sat in an amphitheater looking down at a very tired appearing chief resident wearing a starched white coat, an ill appearing lady lying
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Points of View
system have become more frequent, intrusive and pervasive. Setting of productivity goals, performance measures, increasing bureaucracy, and hassles with payers have considerably dampened the enthusiasm for taking care of patients. This has led to a widespread feelings of lack of autonomy that is so essential to a feeling of satisfaction among physicians. The availability of computer access from home means that work is now conducted at all hours of the day. This has curtailed leisure time and time away from work so that balancing work and personal life has become extremely challenging. Currently, many physicians feel as if they are constantly rowing against the current. If this discouragement among physicians is not addressed, this could have serious consequences for health care in the future. Medicine has always been an attractive profession for high achievers and
In the past year, I have noted a growing concern about the feelings of stress and discouragement voiced by many of my current and former colleagues. These feelings are being voiced more frequently than I have heard in over 35 years of clinical practice. Medical practice can be stressful and physically Rajiv Dhand, MD, Chair and emotionally demanding for physicians. So what change in recent years is causing seasoned physicians to feel unhappy and dispirited? In my view, several factors are contributing to pessimism among physicians. The changes in the health care
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