It was a typical day in my clinic, with many folks to see. Susan was my next
patient. Her mom and dad were both in the room. I made the usual rounds of
shaking hands and sat down to pay attention to Susan and her concerns about her
throat. After some history, I got up to get to the otoscope. I could tell that
Susan was greatly interested in what I was doing and how I was doing it. After
the rest of the history and exam, I encouraged her to come practice with me or
come replace me.
Even in brief encounters there is much to observe and learn and encourage. This
is a two way street, something that I enjoy most about being a family physician.
If we want doctors who listen, pay attention, ask the right questions, and learn
about us as patients and what we do, we better learn to encourage and select the
same, as early and as often as possible.