Family Medicine: The Myth

I've noticed after about 177,000 patient encounters many similarities and differences.  One of my main responsibilities as a Family Physician, it seems, is to make sure that each patient knows that they matter- sort of a human validation and often a role validation (father, mother, patient, guardian, etc.).

AND, that I know that I matter, too.  I value human centering as a skill/strategy of importance, as differentiated from patient centering which seems over-rated and potentially hazardous to the health of ourselves and our colleagues.

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After Kurt Stange introduced us to Ken Wilber via his series in the Annals of FM, I dug into A Brief History of Everything and Integral Spirituality, finding many beneficial validations and launching points.

Extrapolating from Wilber's points about the role of religion, I can resonate to one aspect of the "priestly role" of the Family Physician as "carrying forth the myth that can't be proven" (or measured?).  People have faith that something will happen (or is happening and will continue to happen when they see or reflect upon their Family Physician and the meaning of the relationship).  What is the myth?  Well, you believe it, but maybe you don't know what it is.  It is not measurable in a coding sort of  way.

Could we have a measurable energy that when combined with our context and the patient's context, delivers wholeness? (the unmeasurable and unbillable quest of many).  I like this concept.  The human energy field of patient and physician engaged in dyadic sharing and mutual interdependence may be measurable as technology evolves (probably with a cell phone).

Their (patients) fear of short term or long term loss, or fear that we won't connect to their reality and further mis-align them with their potential for whatever, combined with our fear that their problem might exceed our skills or our coding skills or our employer's mandates for our scope of practice and time allotment may suddenly (or over time) melt into a mutually beneficial human dance of meaning, enhancing organ and system and spiritual unction for both. Can the creative tension of the dyadic dance show merit of a financial sort to someone who might pay?

I love what I get to do.  I love being a Family Physician.  I'm blessed to get a close look at the human condition in the context of meaningful relationships that enable humans to better align with their values, goals and dreams. Yes, My values, goals and dreams are included in the outcomes of doing Family Medicine.

Just a few thoughts.

Onward.

Peace
More later about The Myth and The Magic.  apj