I have the great fortune of working in one of the top
University Hospital’s in the nation.
Everyday I work alongside medical students, interns, residents, fellows, attending physicians, Pharm D’s, and other medical professionals. After
being in medicine for 20 years now, and for the first time in my career,
getting to work in academic medicine, I can now see just what a team sport
medicine really is. Academic medicine, unlike that seen in a community
hospital, is truly a massive team of individuals working toward a common goal;
to take the care of the patient and offer the latest and greatest that cutting
edge medicine has to offer, from some of the brightest minds.
In the past, I had mistakenly assumed that the guys and gals
in the white coats, were all knowing. In fact, I thought knowing all the
answers to all of the questions was required for the job. After being in
academic medicine now for roughly five months, nothing could be farther from
the truth. I see everybody on the team get stumped or not know the answers to
the question of the hour or what medicine is best, or what the normal value
might for a particular parameter. Because medicine is such a broad,
comprehensive science, it’s just impossible to know everything. It’s ok not to
know; it’s just not ok to not seek the answer or keep learning. That’s what
makes medicine the ultimate team sport!!
In my opinion, you must have the humility needed to seek
help for your teammates. Chances are, your weakness my be their strength, and vice versa. I see it everyday! I see very smart, well educated,
highly talented doctors and doctors in training, seek help from others on the
team. There is no shame in one’s game for asking to have another team member
to lend their expertise in the fight for victory. This is especially true when shouldering the ultimate
responsibility of caring for a fellow human being. That’s what, in my opinion,
takes a good team and makes them great. We’re all trying to move the ball down
the field and score one for the patients that have entrusted us with their
care, and often times, their lives.
Medicine; the ultimate team sport!
