Managing Your Expectations About This Blog
What Kind of Title Even is That?
I graduated residency in 2018. As part of my one-year chief residency at the VA, and in my career as a hospitalist since then, I have had the privilege of teaching residents and medical students. My biggest lesson that I try to pass on is that medicine is about managing expectations. In medicine today, it's no longer the paternalistic idea of "doctor gives orders, patient follows orders." Nor should it be. It is a partnership, in which the doctor educates and gives the patient the tools to work on their own health. The doctor's beliefs and prejudices get left at the door, except what is needed to serve the patient's needs.
In 2020, the need for effective communication has become more important than ever in the COVID-19 pandemic. As we watch science happen in real time, as we make mistakes and learn from them, transparent and honest communication is the only way to sort through all of the disinformation that directly and indirectly threatens the health of our citizens. That's why I started posting on Facebook, and that's why I made this blog.
Most of this is going to be medically related, but you'll probably see my human side with some non-medical posts, too. You can catch more of my day-to-day thoughts on Twitter as well, but...I swear a lot more there. Just so you know what to expect.