Editorial
Daniel Pio, MD, MBA
We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends
I recently completed my first year out of residency and I found myself reflecting on the path I have taken so far. More than anything, what stood out is that my success in getting into medical school, choosing family medicine residency, and starting my career have been, in large, partly due to mentors guiding me along the way. I realized that per usual in family medicine the solutions to many of the obstacles we face come from developing relationships. We need mentors. We also need mentees. In a field that can often feel lonely, these relationships with our colleagues reduce burnout, improve care and carry on the traditions of our specialty.
Mentorship reduces burnout. Nothing gives real assurance that things are going to be O.K. like hearing it from someone who has been there before you. The stages of our training can lead to confusion about what we are accomplishing. Residency truly only signifies an end for the need for supervision; it does not, however, signify the end of the need for support. Family medicine is a tough specialty, no way around that. We need people we can vent to and we need people who can be there for us during the tough times. We also need to be looking out for each other. The more we keep connected with each other the easier it is to see red flags and hopefully keep more people from getting into very bad places.
Mentorship also improves patient care. Recently, while attending a meeting with my medical group I was struck by a statement to the effect of “problems are much easier to solve than dilemmas.” Medical school teaches problem solving. We are taught that medicine is a formula. Recognize the pattern, use the known treatment and just like that…doctoring has been done. Once you start practicing medicine you learn that not only is there an endless list of maladies that may befall the human condition, but an even larger list of combinations of those problems. This leads to the much harder task and dilemma of balancing out acute, chronic and social problems to find a best outcome. Medical training cannot even begin to address every scenario. We have the ability to consult, but more often we just need advice from those more experienced.
Mentorship carries on tradition. “The art of medicine” is a phrase we have all heard to describe the intangibles in medicine. That is, a physician’s personal touch, and decision making style in a profession that otherwise tries to be as formulaic as possible. This is the most difficult to teach aspect of medical care, and really what makes an effective encounter. While I agree that the skill set that falls under “art” may be difficult to describe we need to start paying more attention to development of this aspect of care. Intangible does not mean “un-teachable.” Only through interacting with our colleagues can we learn the best practices and nuance to delivering care as a true master of the field.
No matter what stage of your career you are in, mentorship adds value. We are a specialty more than any other that focuses on relationships. Whether formal or not, mentorship can be an invaluable resource. Ultimately, the way we take care of each other will determine the degree of our success. We are on this path together.
