iLoveFM.ca

I think it's totally cool that the mindset of family medicine is that I will happily work with anyone on any problem or issue they've got.  For sure, I have limits in my abilities and knowledge, and will sometimes have to reach out to others for assistance or unique care or both.   But I like that my field is not defined by certain types of patients with certain types of problems.  It just feels so open and welcoming.  I like that in the family docs I have had take care of me over the years:  I have known that they were and are ready to work with me on whatever issue I bring.  I have felt from my own docs that they were open to me. And so, I have tried to do the same for my own patients: I am happy to work with you on whatever issue you want to discuss or need help with.  No boundaries. I love family medicine.

As a family doc, I get to take care of and work with my patients for the long term, and for pretty much any issue they want to talk about.  As a result, I get to know them really well.  I see them in good times and in bad.  Whether I'm with the young male refugee, the elderly lady who still plays tennis, or a person with fluid gender, I get to know them, their hopes, their dreams, their pains, their sorrows, their joys, their frailties. Each and every bit of them and their stories are precious nuggets - glimpses into who they are, how they live their life, and what motivates them.  These pieces of their own stories layer on each other, kind of like the pancake sandcastle method (yup, this is a real thing, a totally cool way to build really, really tall sandcastles).  As the water drains from the stack of sandcastles, a strong almost concrete-like structure is made.  In the same way, each of these pieces of their stories layer upon each other, so that, ove...

It is cool to be in a field, and a field in medicine in particular, that has achieved balanced gender representation.  For quite a while now, 50% or more entrants into family medicine have been women.  Over time, the field itself will be at (or more than) 50% women.  By 2016, 45% of all family physicians in Canada were women (CIHI data). This is truly awesome!  I have learned so much from my women colleagues and teachers, and it's simply cool to be in a field where we've reached balance for new entrants and soon for the profession as a whole. From my first year of medical school training to now 21 years a family doc, I can think easily of the great women family docs who have taught and still teach me so much:  Drs. Irma Verster, Karunanity, Kelly Regan, Anne Bodkin, Anne Spence, Cathy Peckan, Wendy Tink, Martina Kelly, Behi Raissi, Maeve O'Beirne, and, my decade-long direct clinical partner, Dr. Sonya Lee. I love family medicine.

Definitely not a joy of family medicine, but it's one of the things I love about family medicine.  We are all going to die.  For some people, it's at the end of what might normally be a painful or difficult journey.  I love that after I've been with my patients through good and rough times, that when they are vulnerable and might be in pain, I can use all the palliative care tools at my disposal and make sure they are free from discomfort. The best part about this is that they get to use their energy not on suffering, but on whatever they want in their last weeks and days.  Many times, some difficult issues in the family are brought to light and I am often able to connect them to the right supports or be able to facilitate the right conversation, so that all can heal and move beyond.   To be able to help someone and their family in these ways is one of the most important and concrete things I get to do as a family doctor.  I love family medicine....

I love family medicine.  There's nothing quite like going into one of my clinic rooms to a mother, father, or parent (or all) with their new baby.  I get to look at them, looking at me and the world.  I get to see discovery on their faces.  I see them reaching out their little arms. I get to pick them up and check them over and make sure they are well.  When I'm doing it, I get to hold onto the most precious thing in the world:  a baby.  I feel their tone, and feel their stretch.  And I simply get to be someone who has the privilege of helping this new little member of our species grow and develop and be healthy. I love family medicine.