In the latest episode of Lessons Learned – Wisdom Shared, Dr. Thomas White talks about the pervasive decline of trust in communal and personal relationships.  Faith in our bedrock institutions, like Congress, the courts, even our churches, seems to be at an all time low.

Medical and scientific institutions have not been spared from this global distrust. A few thoughts on the causes of distrust and what we family doctors can do to nurture trust in our daily work

“Nobody, but nobody, is going to stop breathing on me.”

Virginia Apgar, MD…

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”   Robert Frost

Most of us physicians, including myself, have had a rather linear path to becoming a doctor.  College, then straight into medical school, then residency, then practice.

Looking back, my own training journey seems so clear and regimented. Any struggles I had were in the work itself, not in the career choice.  The path was clearly marked, and the hardships (and there were a few) were strewn along that straight and narrow path.  I never had a full-time, on-my-own adult job until I was 29, as a freshly minted family doc.

But some of our colleagues took a different path, sometimes multiple paths, before their FM career…

An old Seth Thomas clock bought at a flea market.  It doesn’t work, doesn’t tell time; but it looks stately on the hallway table.  I own the clock but I don’t own what it measures.  Time is not owned.  Rather it is a gift, sometimes a burden, always in short supply.

In this December 2024 episode of the Family Doctor, Dr. White shares his personal struggles with time and time management.  As I listened to his story, I found myself muttering, “Yes! Amen! Me too!”…

On the value of connection and mentorship

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”  Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

Happy Holidays to our Family Medicine colleagues and friends.

Our August 9th, 2024 podcast is a conversation with Dr. Carson Rounds from Charlotte NC. Dr. Rounds is a longtime leader in NC Family Medicine, with over 30 years of practice experience. He has cared for patients and families in rural, suburban, and urban communities.