Last spring, I crossed a podium, accepted a diploma, and recited an ancient oath to start my journey as a medical doctor. While it is an exciting time to be a physician, a widespread mood of frustration is palpable from providers and patients alike. Much of this disaffection stems from a deterioration of the patient-doctor relationship. Explanations for this change include overspecialization, insurance mismanagement, and escalating administrative obligations. Additional blame has been placed on de-emphasizing primary care during medical school and residency followed by comparatively poor reimbursement afterwards. However, this discordance affects specialists too. A young intensive care attending remarked to me that although medical school and residency provided him with sophisticated clinical expertise, the vast majority of his time is spent counseling families and allocating resources, skills that were not addressed in his training.
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