By Micah Howard M.D., UASOM Class of 2010
Those of us lucky to don the long white wardrobe
have many to thank; our families, our mentors and the lineage of trailblazing
physicians that came before us. The profession has always been one of service,
and that is what I want to remind us of. We
are in service to those needing assistance with the ills of life, and we assist
in dissolving impediments to the powerful healing process that is intrinsic to
human-kind.
“A clinician is not someone whose prime function
is to diagnose or to cure illness, for in many cases he is not able to
accomplish either of these. A clinician is more accurately defined as one whose
prime function is to manage a sick person with the purpose of alleviating, most
effectively, the total impact of illness upon that person” - Nicholas J. Pisacano
M.D.
Who was Nick Pisacano, MD?
He was the man who
through fierce devotion and perseverance founded the American Board of Family
Practice and served as its Executive Director from 1969 until 1990. He believed in striving for an excellence that
would be ultimately measured by the impact of the specialty on the health of
the patients. He was well-read and even more
well-spoken. His words remind me of a greater good I promised to give such a
short time ago. When my job is dealing with the increasing complexities of
health insurance litigation and the endless bombardment of pharmacologic
marketing, I lose track of those ideals. So here I am, before your eyes, reuniting
myself with the better part of my work, and in hopefulness inspiring others to
join in their promise.
"The time has come when we must act to save
medicine as a profession. We not only owe it to ourselves and to the youngsters
who follow us, but we owe it primarily to the public, who needs a revered
profession. Physicians as a group must reconsecrate ourselves to those ancient
and cherished values of caring and giving. We must enforce continuing
competence and proficiency, but, above all, we must rededicate ourselves to
public service. We should embrace super-specialism and high technology only as
they contribute to the welfare of human beings. We welcome and support
scientific inquiry and new technology, but we must maintain a healthy balance
between those advances and humanism. Let us not be drawn into mediocrity. Let
us show the people that we hold high the staff of Aesculapius and that we can,
and will, care for all who enter the health system with equal concern and
caritas. These proposals are not foolish dreams. If we act to reconsecrate
ourselves as physicians, think of the good that would be accomplished; think of
what the public's image of us would be -- but most important, think of how you
would feel -- Doctor!" - Nicholas J. Pisacano M.D.
Family Medicine is now is more broadly distributed
across the U.S.
I am part of a group of specialized physicians
that proudly focuses on:
– Complaints which are obscure, vague, or
undifferentiated
– Complaints which arise from potentially
life threatening disease that has not yet been diagnosed
– Complaints which are out of proportion to
physical or laboratory findings
– Complaints which are unusual, bizarre,
non-physiologic, or non-anatomical
– Complaints which are persistent and
disabling
– Complaints associated with marked anxiety
or mood change
– Complaints which result from life change,
conflict, or other family or social change
– Conditions which are incurable
– Conditions involving habits and the
lifestyle of the patient
I give my thanks to those that paved the way, and
pledge my service to the intellectual and compassionate ideals that they held
in highest regard. Our revered profession is one of grand sympathy and eternal
conquest for deeper understanding of humanity. We all took the oath, and to our
patients we must be true.
“Today we cure this patient, then her family, then
the community, then the country, then the world” - Nicholas J. Pisacano
M.D.
Micah Howard M.D.
@micah_howard
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