Gone are the days of complete trust in your family provider. We all have access at our fingertips 24/7 with the World Wide Web.
The internet is a double edged sword because it can help us learn about a diagnosis we have or it can make us self diagnose and tell our PCP what to do. Burnout in primary care is real and over our career we will be yelled at, belittled and bullied. Studies are out there to show this.
This has been a particularly difficult week for me as I have been belittled and verbally assaulted because I don’t agree with what the patient wants, my colleagues have been called names, and I have been yelled at for not prescribing pain medications. I am in this field to provide care for patients and to show compassion. I genuinely care for patients and treat them as I would want to be treated. I do my research and I consult with colleagues if I am unsure. I would never knowingly do something wrong or “just do it my way”. So why do the awful insults that a patients says, even if you know you didn’t do something wrong linger in your head?
I was awake for more time than I should have been ruminating over what was said to me. I know I am a good provider and do the right things, but I was deeply wounded by the words.
One study shows that 85% of staff have been bullied by patients and this study was from the early 2000s! This was before AI and many advanced medical websites.
There is no wonder that the burnout is high. We trained and study for YEARS to do the right thing. Are we always right? Of course not, we are human. But my years of training and experience is far more superior than your hours of google searching!
Clearly, I need to “ let it go” and “move on”
Self care is important and leaning on your peers and colleagues. I am truly grateful for this three day weekend to reset and recharge.
To my non medical friends , I am not saying do not google your symptoms before an appointment! Educate yourself and pre-plan your visit. But be open to the conversation that can be had with your PCP and their thoughts and experience. What you want may not be the best plan for your current condition. A wait-and-see approach is not a bad thing and it’s not that your doctor doesn’t care. We are all not out there to push pills and most of us are in this profession because we want to make a difference and help people.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1894845/
Overthinkers Unite 
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