Last week, I had the occasion to be interviewed by a reporter from Springfield, Illinois, to provide some commentary in honor of the pending career transition of a mentor of mine, Kevin Dorsey, M.D., Ph.D.
Kevin is the dean of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIUSOM), my alma mater, and he is stepping down from that role in December, and will resume teaching at SIUSOM after that time.
I have known Kevin since I walked into the door of the medical school campus in Carbondale in the fall of 1983. I met him that very first day, and he has been a trusted teacher and mentor since that time. Bringing him up in this venue may seem strange, but let me tell you why I think it is important.
Most physicians remember the person who taught them to put the stethoscope in their ears pointing in the right direction, and we usually remember the person who taught us to listen to someone’s heart using that tool. Kevin did that for me, and much more.
Most important, I think, he taught me to listen to someone’s heart using my heart. He taught me that sitting quietly and listening to a patient’s story would often help me learn the answer to any diagnostic question I had. He said, “If you listen long enough, and well enough, the patient will tell you what is wrong with them.”
He taught me to take a thorough history, and he taught me that, “90 percent of the time, you will know what is wrong with the patient after a good history, and 90 percent of the other 10 percent of the time, you should know what is wrong with them after you do a good physical exam. So only 10 percent of 10 percent of the time should you need a test or study to give you the answer.” In short, Kevin taught me to think like a physician, and to act like a healer.
The reason I share this story with you is threefold. First, I want to celebrate a mentor and friend of mine as he steps down from the role of dean in a few months, and returns to the medical school classroom for the rest of his career. Second, I want to give credit for anything I do well at the bedside with patients, to him, at least in part.
And finally, I want the learners in our building to have a chance to hear some of the words he used to teach me about how to be human while being a physician. Thanks for indulging me in this reflection. And whether you know him or not, please join me in congratulating him for all that he has done.
Sharon K. Hull, professor and chief of the Division of Family Medicine, can be reached at sharon.hull@duke.edu.
Editor’s note: Dr. Hull guest blogs every month.