Dr. Theresa Rinderle (left) and Dr. Kevin Murphy.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR AND THE FAMILY
I grew up in the era of the Marcus Welby, MD television show. Early on in my life, medical school was my goal. I had always envisioned myself as a generalist. Not until medical school, was I then introduced to the relatively new specialty: Family Medicine. I was in.
Through the rigors of post-graduate training, we emerge comfortable and qualified for most all encounters. The job is never boring. We have no restrictions on complaints, body system, etc. Most of us still have healthy pediatric practices. Because of this never ending variety of people and problems, many of our consultants comment that ours is the most difficult specialty in medicine.
THE FAMILY DOCTORS AND THE PATIENT
Every patient is an individual. Too many times, they are referred to as a medical record number. John Doe with heart disease, an outlier statistic on a population health diabetes list or gall-bladder in room 1441. The practicing Family Doctor indeed knows John Doe has heart disease but that his wife is transitioning to assisted living in a dementia center. Our role in caring for our patients oft times takes us well out of the exam room. We understand our patients and their unique needs.
TECHNOLOGY IN MEDICINE
The technological advances that have occurred over these 30+ years of my medical journey have been profound. Many things then considered near science fiction, are now science fact. New and exciting imaging modalities, gene therapy, surgical procedures and techniques, miniaturization of life saving devices just to name a few. However; with the rapid progress of technology, the one thing that should never be lost is the human touch. We all should never lose sight of the humanity of the practice and art of medicine with the inundation of these new technological tools available to us and our patients. This is a balance we strive to accomplish daily.
Sponsored by CHRISTUS Primary Care.
