Olympic Gold for Patient Care

Anthony Rudine -- I just finished watching American speed skater Chad Hedrick win the Olympic gold medal in the 5000 meters. What an incredible feeling. What a great end to my test week!

I cannot imagine what he must feel like to stand on the medal podium and be rewarded for being the best in the world. But that makes me wonder: In this day and age of competitiveness and rewards, could those same events occur without the reward at the end?

In medicine, there is no "greatest doctor in the world" competition every 4 years. Sure, we have the Nobel Prize in medicine – but a reward for the best physician, the best healer? It almost sounds counterintuitive. Shouldn't we be in this for different reasons? I think a reward does exist in what many might consider a profession without rewards. I see increasing bitterness developing in the medical field because some feel that the reward strategy is not there, that lawsuits are taking their place. I beg to differ.

I spoke with a patient the other day who was not in good shape, but in a great mood. Lots of family members, but none there to visit. As I talked to him, I received a reward not unlike the rewards given to our top athletes, albeit in a different form. I received the reward of thanks – without even having heard the words. I could see it in his eyes, as he was glad that someone cared enough to stop by for more than a passing minute.

The point I am trying to make is this – as a medical professional of the future, I hope to take the time to step away from the bitterness and heartbreak of the day-to-day grind and recognize the gold medals that can be achieved every time we pass through a door and affect a patient's life, because for that period, as their physician, we are the best in the world.

And truthfully, I would much rather have a healed patient hanging around my neck giving me a hug than a gold medal.