Practicing medicine is the easy part, mastering the 'art of medicine' is another story

As mentioned in my previous entry, I’ve been travelling a fair bit recently. Partly, this is for pleasure but I also travel in order to work, a situation that has become all too familiar to households across North America given the recession.

My husband is required to do the next year of his training in the French-speaking part of Canada and my language skills are hardly up to the challenge of being a francophone professional.  Arguably, my most important job as a family physician is talking to people.  I have to counsel on everything from diet and fitness to end of life issues, and everything in between.  The primary reason for my decision not to work in Quebec is that I do not feel I could adequately discharge my duties of communication.

Time and again in my job, I find that the medicine is the easy part.  Human bodies are essentially put together the same way and, while there are a myriad of possible ailments, there are ultimately a finite number of things that can go wrong and determining the diagnosis is like putting the puzzle pieces together to reveal the big picture.  The mystifying part of medicine, the part that fascinates me the most, is the human side of things.  That’s what some people call “the art of medicine” –  exploring the “what makes people tick” side of things and using it to improve their health and healthcare experience.  Language is a huge part of this art of medicine because it all comes down to communication.

Many times in my medical career, I’ve met patients whose first language is something other than English.  Usually, they are gracious enough to help me with my faltering French or stammering Spanish.  Unfortunately, my Punjabi and Mandarin only extend so far as the words for “hello,” “thank you,” and “pain?” It always helps when family members are available to help overcome language barriers.  If you find yourself in a position where you are called upon to translate for a family member or friend, let me thank you in advance for the service you are providing to both that person and the healthcare professional wanting to help.  It is an incredible challenge and a gift to overcome something as complex as language.  Without it, our communication becomes muddied and the entire healthcare experience takes on a negative slant.

In the coming weeks, I would like Meghan’s Musings to slant in a different direction itself and explore topics in women’s health, as this is a field where I frequently receive questions.  That said, I also need it to relate to things I encounter in my day to day experience and practice, so there will be times when I need to branch out to other areas of medicine.  I do not profess to be an expert in any particular field.  In fact, I would argue that being a family doctor requires me to be precisely the opposite – a “jack of all trades, master of none.” I can promise, however, that my commentary will be well thought out, supported with scientific research whenever possible and, above all, completely honest.  I hope that brings you back to read more in a few weeks.

---

Meghan Newcombe is a young, intelligent, Canadian general practitioner and a real go getter! She is a patient advocate and dynamic doctor with a strong belief in patient wellness and prevention, especially when it comes to Women's Health. Meghan is also a well rounded individual with interests in travel, cooking, fine wine, equestrian sports, the outdoors – and oh yes, more of a vice than an interest, SHOES!