By
Lissa
When
I was training to become a physician, the rules of the broken, outdated,
patriarchal medical system were made clear to me. They went something like
this.
The
Old Medicine
As
your doctor, I will sacrifice everything in my personal life in order to fix
what is broken in you. I will stay awake when I’m exhausted, cross my legs when
I have to pee, ignore my stomach when it growls, neglect my partner and
children when they need me, allow my health to decline, and read all my medical
journals so I can stay up to date on the latest in modern science. I will show
up sick to work, endure unspeakable traumas in order to learn what I need to
know to be an excellent physician, and I will prioritize medicine over
everything else in my life. I will study what my forefathers have learned,
attend lectures, consult with other physicians, practice my skills, follow the
Hippocratic Oath, and vow to first do no harm, and then, hopefully, to do some
good.
I
will ask you questions, take notes when you talk, interpret your vital signs,
and listen to the rhythms of your most crucial organs. I will order laboratory
tests and X-rays to figure out what’s wrong, write prescriptions to treat you,
refer you to a specialist (if I can’t figure out what’s going on), operate when
needed, and cover up or cut out any symptom that threatens to disable or
destroy you.
Trust
Me
As
your doctor, I will bring to our relationship the hallowed knowledge of the
best of modern science, the wisdom I have earned from years spent in ivory
towers, the gifts garnered from the most gifted clinicians I’ve trained with,
and the hard-won experience of practicing my craft. I will filter your health
problems through the lens of my collective knowledge and churn out a diagnosis,
a treatment, and a genuine desire to help you get well.
As
my patient, you will trust my expertise, refrain from questioning my judgment,
have patience when I make you wait, forgive me when I’m curt, keep your questions
to a minimum because I’m very busy, and pay your health insurance premiums so I
can give you the best care possible. As
my patient, you will follow up with all recommended tests and comply with all
treatment plans, even if you don’t understand or agree with what I’ve ordered,
prescribed, or recommended.
As
my patient, you will fill out all paperwork, jump through all hoops, get child
care when you need it, take time off work, find transportation, and make any
other arrangements necessary to prioritize your health, but if I have to cancel
on you, you will understand, because some of my patients are sicker than you.
Tell
Me Everything
You
will willingly offer up to me every private detail of your life that is
relevant to helping me deliver the best care possible, but you may not ask me
to reveal such details of my own personal life, for that would be
unprofessional. You will not complain about sitting naked and cold in a sterile
exam room for 30 minutes, while I attend to other patients. And you will not
mind when I finally show up, dressed and perspiring, in my white collar, tie,
and starched white coat.
When
you come in to see me, you will forgive me for forgetting your name, not
remembering that your husband just died, looking in your ears instead of your
vagina because the nurse plugged in the wrong code on my form, and keeping my
back turned to you throughout our visit because these new computers keep me
from looking you square in the eye. You
will understand my frigid hands, the ice cold speculum, and the gown that stops
at your waist and flaps open to reveal your business not just to me, but to the
people standing in the hallway who peek in when I bark orders at my medical
assistant.
You
will not get your feelings hurt when I never remove my hand from the doorknob
throughout our 15 minute visit, even though you are trying to confess that
you’ve had pain with sex for six years now. You will understand that I don’t
cry when you do, even when I just told you your baby has died, because if I let
you see how much I hurt with you, our relationship might get too personal, and
you may not respect me any more.
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You
will understand that if I wasn’t this way, I might wind up even more exhausted,
depleted, overworked, overwhelmed, stressed, financially strapped, traumatized,
heartbroken, sick, and depressed than I already am. You have to realize that if
I put you first without considering the other 40 patients I must see today in
my office, I couldn’t pay the bills. And if I put my heart on my sleeve right
there where you could see it, I might wind up sobbing on the floor of a locker
room, dressed in scrubs, while my colleagues scream at me to buck up. If I let my guard down, you might see through
this gruff exterior and know how much I resent my job sometimes, how frustrated
I am that managed care has taken away my autonomy, how disgusted I am that I
don’t get more time with you, and how much I feel trapped because I owe more
money than I’m earning these days.
If I
let my guard down for even one second, I might have to admit to myself that I
made a mistake, that I should have gone to law school or business school, or
that – God forbid – I’d rather be an artist or a writer than this kind of
doctor. But I’m an indentured servant who can’t even afford to quit my job,
much less follow some lark and go chasing butterflies.
So
forgive me if I don’t treat you like my best friend. And understand that I’m
really, honestly doing the very best I can.
Capiche?
As
doctor and patient, we must agree to respect the boundaries of our
relationship, and as long as you do your part, I will do everything I can to
fix your problem, even if it saps every last bit of energy I have, because I am
called to practice medicine, and I know you need me. So you can count on me. I
am here to serve you. With
that said, will you please get undressed now? We only have 4 minutes left. With
the best intentions, Your
Doctor.
Okay,
it’s me, Lissa, again, and I have to admit that I just sobbed my way through
writing that. I’m
going to propose a new agreement, one that will forge the way and shine a light
on Sacred Medicine – a system I dream of and believe in my heart-of-hearts is
possible.
Since
I have decided to put my white coat back on, I am committed to rewriting the rules,
shaking up the system, and tapping into my gifts as a physician while doing
things my way. To
learn more about my philosophy and to receive the 10 Keys to Optimal Whole
Health click here.
What
do you think? Have you experienced any wounds at the hands of doctors or other
health care practitioners entrenched in The Old Medicine? Are you a doctor or
other health care professional committed to changing how we treat patients? Are
you a patient ready to demand what is rightfully yours? Who’s on board to blaze
this trail with me? Can I see a show of hands?
Source:
Note:
Lissa is an OB/GYN physician, a Pink Medicine Revolutionary, author of
two books, a motivational speaker, founder of OwningPink.com, a professional
artist, and a mom. She believes that promoting health without encouraging
others to seek wholeness is an exercise in futility. Not until we realize that
our bodies are mirrors of our interpersonal, spiritual, professional, sexual,
creative, financial, environmental, mental, and emotional health will we truly
heal.
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