I didn’t plan to fall in love, but I did. It was one of those things that just happened. I came to St. Louis to do my fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine with the intent of staying for just one, maybe two years. That was 12 years ago.
I would not have expected my life to change so substantially during my time in St. Louis. Nor would I have expected to fall in love with St. Louis.
Prior to my arrival, I was well aware of the many wonderful things that St. Louis has to offer- outstanding medical schools and hospitals, an exceptional zoo, great museums, music and food. But I had no idea that the people of St. Louis would be so phenomenal. It is the people of St. Louis with whom I fell in love.
I clearly remember the first person that I met in St. Louis. I arrived an hour before my 8 a.m. interview, not just because I wanted to be on time, but because one of my mentors at Duke had arranged for his friend to meet me. Soon after I arrived, Dr. Jerome Williams, Jr. walked into the lobby and greeted me with a smile. He told me how great St. Louis is and he talked about the wonderful opportunities to impact health here. Soon I would learn that there are many St. Louisans who are dedicated to making St. Louis a healthier place for everyone. So it was easy for me to stay in St. Louis after my fellowship.
Although I was in my late 20’s, the faculty position that I accepted at Washington University was my first ‘real’ job. After college, four years of medical school, three years of internal medicine training, and one year of geriatrics fellowship, I was ready to practice independently. The training that physicians receive during residency and fellowship prepares you to provide medical and healthcare services but I quickly learned that people- patients, their families and other members of the health care team- teach you some of the most important lessons about being a physician.
My faculty position allows me the great opportunity to combine many of the things I love about medicine. Not only do I provide health care, I also do clinical research and teach students and trainees. My interest in community health and health education allowed me additional opportunities to work with and learn from a range of individuals in the community. These individuals have challenged me to think and develop in ways that I didn’t learn during my many years of education and training. It is the people of St. Louis that taught to be a better, more compassionate and humble physician and researcher.
Some of the most valuable lessons that I’ve learned from my friends, colleagues, and extended family in St. Louis are:
- ‘Patients are people first.’ In medical school, we often describe patients as cases and we refer to people by their age and their health conditions. When you take the time to get to know the person, you realize the role of their values in their approach to health. This allows you to understand and work as a team towards better outcomes.
- ‘Using big words doesn’t mean that you are smart.’ If people don’t understand what you are saying, it doesn’t mean that you are smarter. It means you are not smart enough to learn how to effectively communicate, which is essential to improving health outcomes.
- ‘Admitting that you don’t know the answer doesn’t mean that you are incompetent.’ Thanks to advances in treatments and medical technologies, there are constant changes in health care. So a physician must be committed to lifelong learning and continuing medical education. Finding the correct answer is much better than pretending you know.
- ‘You cannot but a price on trust.’ Building a trust, whether that’s with a patient, colleague, or community partner, is the most important element to a relationship. You must be willing to spend the time and put in the effort to build and maintain trust.
- ‘If you want real change, you must engage the person/people affected.’ It doesn’t matter if it’s an individual health condition or inequities that impact a group of people, you must involve those people in the solution. The lack of involvement is one of the primary reasons that health interventions and initiatives are not successful.
This is just a short list of the great lessons that I’ve learned from St. Louis. Although I didn’t go to high school here, I’ve certainly grown up here. I’ve grown personally and professionally and I am truly thankful to everyone who has taught me through your words and actions how to be a better doctor.
