Monthly Archives: May 2009

May28

Writing from a doctor’s perspective

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Writing from a doctor’s perspective

I just came back from writers’  group which was amazing and frustrating at the same time. Let me describe to you what it’s like: You submit your writing the week before, to be read by the other members. When your submission is being critiqued, you have to remain silent. You can’t say one single word. Trust me, as a vociferous woman, it’s hard. I submitted a chapter about how I broke my arm and what inspired me to ultimately write my book. There are so many medical details that you take for granted, assuming that everyone knows what you’re talking about. Most of the group didn’t even know the difference between an attending vs. resident vs intern. Some constructive criticisms were about medical jargon that they didn’t understand.

I realized it’s all about bedside matters, on a daily basis, it’s my job to speak in a language that my patients will understand. Instead of saying cardiac hypertrophy, I have to consciously say, your heart has enlarged. Gradually, as patients learn, they get used to the nomenclature and start using it themselves. I’m hoping the same can extrapolate to not only my writers’ group, but to my future readers as well.

May23

The Changer

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The Changer

I recently took a personality analysis geared towards physicians. Here’s what my “personality type” came back as:

The Changer

The Changer is the lonely wolf who wants to control herself and her actions. The Changer does not care about titles or status, but believes that she is above them. The Changer has an answer ready for most questions and she is not afraid to giver her opinions. Some see The Changer as frightening and believe she at times underestimates others. In reality she wants others to first show what they can achieve. Only then she gives her attention and acceptance into her group. The Changer is constantly looking for challenges and she is not afraid of the unknown. Routines bore her quickly. The Changer wants to be in the front line developing new things and creating something unique. She finds it very unpleasant to admit defeat and to go back. As a goal oriented person she is ready to adapt herself into new groups and situations quickly. The Changer does not live in the past.

May23

Please call me doctor

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Please call me doctor

I’ve been in practice for eight years now, and one thing that I haven’t been able to shake is when patients call me by my first name. At first I thought it was because of my ego, but I don’t think it necessarily is. I believe that patients step outside of their boundaries when they call me by my first name. It’s not something that I would do to my own doctor, although it’s a little different since my own doctor is a colleague.

I have nurses who are my patients and fellow doctors who are also my patients. The majority of them call me Doctor, but a minority call me by first name. It’s a little different since we are health care professionals, and I don’t necessarily hold them by the same standards. But when a patient comes to see me, who is not familiar to me or not a health care professional, I am slightly offended. I’ve reflected on this and hoped that I’m not starting to resemble the older Caucasian doctor who wears a bow tie on rounds and insists on following the Socratic method. My job as a physician is not to be a patient’s friend, but to offer them the best medical advice and work together to keep them healthy. No more, no less.

May21

The end, beginning and middle

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The end, beginning and middle

Every story has a beginning, middle and end.

Even mine.

I’m currently working on a memoir about my experiences/challenges and blessings of medicine. What I thought was going to be a chapter toward the end of my book has now suddenly become my initial chapter. Go figure. There’s a general game plan that I have come up with, but it actually thrills me when I go off course and take a suggestion from someone who thinks that the book may work from another angle. I thought about why this may be so thrilling to me and I have realized that I have continually been tracked: from high school—>college—->med school—>internship—>residency—>jobs…

Until the past three years. I broke my arm. I started my own practice. I seek autonomy.

It’s a whole different game now. And I embrace the unknown.

May16

Moving on up…

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Moving on up…
Dr. Mandal

Dr. Mandal

Technically, since I’m movin’ to Broadway, I’ll be on the east side baby. Here’s some homage to The Jeffersons with some slight medical modifications ;)    Eh hemmm (that’s me clearing my throat).

Well we’re movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe office space in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

I’m tired of having to do so much;
When all patients want is a pill.
Took a whole lotta tryin’,
Just to get up that hill.
Now we’re up in the big leagues,
Gettin’ our turn at bat.
As long as we live, it’s you and me baby,
There ain’t nothin wrong with that.

Well we’re movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe office in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie…

May14

The psychology of good business

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The psychology of good business

Recently,  a patient had some constructive criticisms about my practice. She’s been seeing me for the past couple of years, and we’ve always had a good doctor-patient relationship.

In the past year, I’ve been struggling with an expanding medical practice and the inability to have more administrative staff. Most of this has been because I work in a communal space where secretaries are shared and there is a limited amount of space for administrative staff. This has translated into fielding numerous phone calls and dealing with issues that most private practitioners do not have to deal with. When I attempted to address this, I was told that I would not be able to have a full-time secretary because of the lack of space. The lady that I sublet from was inflexible and this triggered me to search for new space so that I can accodomate my growing practice.

My recent interaction with my patient reminded me that I too need to be more flexible. Admittedly, her constructive criticism about not getting back to her regarding certain issues annoyed me. It pushed the button of “Why do I have to do EVERYTHING?!” But, this time, I stepped back. Actually, I went for a long walk along the Hudson River and didn’t e-mail her back right away. I took a couple of days to think it over, and come to the realization that my patient had some strong points. It IS my job to be able to communicate effectively and even this “disagreement” was an opportunity to meet her in the middle and acknowledge her. I did that, I let her know that I was struggling with some administrative issues in the office, that I am actively trying to do something about that. I was proud of myself, because I took some lessons with a negative experience I had with a renting issue and used it to improve my own practice.

You’re never too old to learn.

May13

Finding Mr. Space

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Finding Mr. Space

Looking for office space in the Big Apple is sort of like dating or interviewing for a job. You deal with (for the most part) unrelenting brokers, go through hordes of space that isn’t right for you, and hope and pray that the right space exists somewhere out there. Maybe in this market, the analogy to interviewing for a job isn’t accurate since many people are glad to get something and may not be so picky. So, then looking for office space in the Big Apple is analagous to finding Mr. Right.

It took me a month, after spending a long time going back and forth as to whether moving was the right thing for me. After all, moving is the sixth biggest stressor in life, and hey, who wants to be stressed? I’ve seen the oddest spaces out there. My concept of “office space” is just that= office space. I was shown places where there was no office at all, simply a studio apartment. When I made the silly mistake of asking who resided in this space before, I was told a podiatrist had occupied it previously and simply hung a curtain in the place where he saw patients. No actual wall, just a curtain. I envisioned discussing private medical matters with patients, doing pelvic exams, breast exams with a thin veil of a curtain between me and my other patients. Ummm. Not happening.

I went to the Chelsea area, near Eighth Avenue and 20th St. As I was walking towards the building, I felt a pebble hit my head. At first I thought it was my imagination, but when I saw a horde of policemen standing around the building, I thought that the two may be connected. After some careful eavesdropping, I learned that there was a crazy man hiding in the building…throwing pebbles and stones at passerbys below. I thought to myself, If this isn’t a message from above, I don’t know what is.

For the most part, I’ve acted on instinct. Sometimes, I just didn’t like the vibe, the spirit of the place. Afterall, it’s New York City. You can’t tell me that there aren’t ghosts lurking around these joints. Some brokers would call me every hour on the hour and even text me, and this in and of itself, was a complete turnoff. No one wants to deal with a desperate broker.

But, finally, as I was told it would happen…I found it. I had an inkling the day before that I would find it, and I did. I walked into my new space and instantly, I said, “YES. This is it.” It’s a comfy space, with a good vibe and I hope that I make magic there with my new assistant.