Blogs

In medical school, we were required to take a survey to help us decide which specialty was right for us. When I was done, a web page flashed a column of specialties and corresponding percentages. I had an 80% chance of matching into “family medicine,” a phrase I had never seen before.

Recently, I engaged with some colleagues in a heartfelt conversation about the sense of purpose I feel when caring for patients during the transition times in their life. Oftentimes these transitions occur following a new diagnosis or change in patient status.

This seemed to be the sentiment of my fourth-year medical school class as we spent the last month of our training in a course called “Successful Interning,” where we learned tips and tricks — both medical and personal — on how to survive our first year of residency. But I wondered why the goal is always survival?

I admit it: I love apps. It may be a sign of an aging brain needing a little assistance, but I can live with that. I have discussed the role of the electronic era in the past but I thought it was time to update the subject with a few recommendations.

This July I was happy to join the Duke Family Medicine team for my second year of pharmacy residency, and was eager to learn the ropes and meet everyone. After a couple of weeks of orientation, I started seeing patients with my preceptor Brock Woodis, PharmD, BCPS, CPP.

Some new providers have joined the Family Medicine division since my last blog and I wanted to make note of those. First is Remy Coeytaux, M.D. already a member of the Department, has graciously agreed to come on board at Pickens and see patients through the end of the year. 

“Pasión por el cuidado de las personas” (passion for caring for people) was the title theme of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Iberoamerican regional meeting in Peru two weeks ago. As explained on the meeting website the specialty of Family and Community Medicine is growing and gaining strategic spaces all over Ibero America (Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries).

There I sat, rattling off my plans for the next one to five years. I was sitting in my program director’s office for an advisement meeting. “Of course, I would like to eventually run for the Board of Directors, but you know I’d probably better think about applying for this other position first in order to get a better understanding of--”

As in other academic institutions throughout the country, Duke Family Medicine’s new intern class arrived June 26.  This is an exciting time for existing residents and faculty as we learn about our new colleagues.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has a poster that displays quotes by family doctors to demonstrate the characteristics that make us proud to be a family physician.  It starts with “I treat people, not disease.”