1. Our health care system is broken, and there isn’t going to be an easy way out. Costs are too high and our outcomes too poor. There’s a lot of finger-pointing in how we got to this point, but one thing is for certain — physicians must lead the way to a better system. The heart of health care is still the doctor-patient relationship and that needs to be protected at all costs. Historically speaking, physicians have tended to shy away from the business side of medicine in lieu of caring for patients, but that’s no longer a realistic option. Physician leadership is a must.
2. Nurses are underpaid and underappreciated. Physicians diagnose and develop treatment plans, but the nurses are the ones who carry things out. They’re present for the good, the bad, the embarrassing and whatever else becomes necessary. They spend substantially more time with patients and families than the physician. A competent, compassionate nurse is an invaluable benefit for a physician and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I feel this more strongly with each passing year I work alongside them.
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