Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Physicians: Listen to voices of the past. And learn.

Jeffrey McWilliams, MD
Physician
January 3, 2016
Share
Tweet
Share

I’ve noticed as I get older, life seems to travel full circle no matter your path or destination.  I find myself trying to teach my son Grant things that my father attempted to teach me not so long ago.  “Don’t do that, you’ll fall and hurt yourself.”  Or, “Try it this way and the process will be much easier.”  There is that brief moment of acknowledgment often followed by scraped knees or spilled paint.  I think back to my own bullheaded nature as a child with similar events that I could only learn through trial and error, not listening to wisdom from my father.

A really smart guy once said that history is destined to repeat itself.  I grasped this concept long ago, studying great people and civilizations, trying to learn from their triumphs and failures in order to be a better, man, father, and contributor to society.  The one pattern I’ve grown to appreciate is that we often repeat the same mistakes of past generations time and time again.  Isn’t this the definition of insanity?  “Insanity-doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome.”  We often learn the answers, the secrets, through trial and error; later reflecting, “I remember reading about this, or my father saying that.”

I’ve come to the conclusion that some of the most crucial lessons in life, no matter how obvious or repeated through history must be learned firsthand through sweat and tears.  Is there not a middle ground where our innate nature to “explore and prove” collides with our self-awareness and historical lessons of the past, to create a better process, or evolving answer to the problem at hand?  Will Grant have that moment where he says, “Last time I didn’t listen to Dad, I fell and hurt my knee … Hey, this old dude may have a point.”  At the age of 35, I find myself having a lot of those moments related to past advice.

As an emergency provider in a robust East Texas ED, I have been both an avid participant and active observer of patient care at its best.  Heroic care and quiet sacrifice have become part of the daily ritual of our outstanding ED staff.    I’m amazed daily by the level of compassion and servanthood that I see exhibited by our frontline warriors of emergent care.   These guys are on a constant roller coaster of emotional and physical demands that actively confront the forces of life and death multiple times throughout the day.

I’ve often asked myself what motivates someone to join the profession; better yet, what fuels someone to be able to sustain this journey?   I guess you could say I had one of those “ah-ha moments” where voices of the past collided with present experiences, screaming the obvious.  Compassionate care is at it’s best when selflessly focused on helping others, whether being an ill patient or a burdened co-worker.  It’s that feeling that you have after helping the child or WW2 vet that stays with you long after the shift is over that makes this profession worthwhile.  It’s the feeling of teamwork or accomplishment you have after rolling up your sleeves and helping a co-worker when needed most.  This feeling supersedes any unpleasant interaction of ungrateful encounter.  Here lies the collision of echoing voices saying, “it’s better to give than receive,” and selfless patient care that has a priceless reward.

Whatever your path may be on the journey of life, I encourage you to listen to voices of the past while actively pursuing collisions of the present.  Selfless acts of servanthood will bring rewards that will last forever.

Jeffrey McWilliams is an emergency physician who blogs at Advocates Of Excellence.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The difficult questions have to be asked in the exam room

January 2, 2016 Kevin 5
…
Next

10 tips to make residency more enjoyable

January 3, 2016 Kevin 7
…

Tagged as: Emergency Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The difficult questions have to be asked in the exam room
Next Post >
10 tips to make residency more enjoyable

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Jeffrey McWilliams, MD

  • True happiness and fulfillment come in servitude of others

    Jeffrey McWilliams, MD
  • Thank you nurses, for rushing in when we need you most

    Jeffrey McWilliams, MD
  • This doctor defines himself as a Christian, not a physician

    Jeffrey McWilliams, MD

Related Posts

  • Physicians have spoken. The Biden administration should listen.

    Ripley Hollister, MD
  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

    Valerie A. Jones, MD
  • When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

    Monique Tello, MD
  • Surprising and unlikely rewards of social media engagement by physicians

    Lisa Chan, MD

More in Physician

  • Removing vaccine advisers could jeopardize lives

    J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD
  • Why would any physician believe that the practice of medicine will become less abusive for them in the future?

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • The hidden war on doctors: Understanding administrative violence

    Maryna Mammoliti, MD
  • How doctors can stop frivolous lawsuits before they start

    Howard Smith, MD
  • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

    Neil Baum, MD
  • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

    Ryan McCarthy, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • What led me from nurse practitioner to medical school

      Sarah White, APRN | Education
    • Why local cardiac CT scans could save your life

      Benjamin Cohen, MD | Conditions
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • How proposed NIH budget cuts could derail Alzheimer’s research

      Tamer Hage, Tejas Sekhar, and Swapna Vaja | Conditions
    • Removing vaccine advisers could jeopardize lives

      J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • What led me from nurse practitioner to medical school

      Sarah White, APRN | Education
    • Why local cardiac CT scans could save your life

      Benjamin Cohen, MD | Conditions
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • How proposed NIH budget cuts could derail Alzheimer’s research

      Tamer Hage, Tejas Sekhar, and Swapna Vaja | Conditions
    • Removing vaccine advisers could jeopardize lives

      J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...