Urgent Care Physician this Morning: I just want to help people

[JustAnotherGen]

I have insurance. I have prescription coverage. I have the bells and whistles. What I don't have is a willingness to call my GP every time I get a sniffle or a scrape.. . So tend to let things wait. Tuesday this past week I had a raised sore on my left thigh. By yesterday evening I had lump the size of baseball. When I woke up this morning my entire left thigh was completely swollen and I still had the baseball.

I left my boyfriend sleeping and drove myself to an urgent care facility in Somerset County NJ. I could barely walk in the door and the nurses could see I was in pain since I wore shorts.

First - they got me right into a room and helped me fill out the paperwork. Luckily, this facility is on the 'electronic' system so they were able to pull up my records from my regular doctor. They told me everything that I had, what medications I take, and noted that I have A.S. This man and woman were just wonderful, detailed, and caring. They send in a Doctor.

Enter the doctor who takes one look and says: That's an abcess(sp?). It's close to an artery. Raises his eyebrow and says "But not too close. Let's do it here. You can't sit in an emergency room for six hours. Don't want to risk it".

Turns out I had a cyst that gotten infected and that caused the abcess. He gave me local novocaine, incised, drained, put the 'cloth' in the wound to keep it from coming back. So after I got dressed he comes back and gives me to prescriptions. I thank this very young doctor for taking care of this so quickly and he says:

That's why I went into medicine. I just want to help people heal.

And I say: It's appreciated.

And he says: I wish MORe people COULD appreciate it. Sorry to be political (I was wearing an Obama t-shirt this morning :rofl: ) - but I think you'd agree. MORE people need the chance to appreciate it and not have to think twice about going to see a doctor. You have a privilege with your health insurance. Next time don't wait so long. Okay?

I winked at him and said "Okay". I'm going back Tuesday to have some of this cloth stuff removed.
Bye
And I as we were walking out he said: Don't give up on it. We need every person to have access to Medicare in this country. Just please don't give up so I can help more people. (He winks and says) - Gobama. Rest that leg and I'll see you Tuesday.


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I rarely post original threads or share my personal experiences. . . .But I had to share this today. This young 30-something Doctor just wants to 'help people' but he'd like to be able to help MORE people.

I'm sure he could have gone and worked in some big fancy practice or specialty - but instead he wants to Help People.

I'm going in with a check/donation to this facility on Tuesday on top of my co-pay. I've gotta gotta do it. They have a fund there for those who cannot pay - and I'm giving to it! So this guy can Help People.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. K&R for your story and your extra donation to the facility

[Warpy]

2. My docs are on the other end of the system

and are in or have rejected the HMO treadmill and are burned out on insurance company crapola and being treated like dirt by MBA types who don't know squat about medicine but want to pretend they do.

They're good guys who knock the bills down because I'm uninsured and likely to remain so since HCR did nothing for older people with severe pre existing conditions like mine.

Docs aren't the enemy. Most of the conservatives have died off and the rest are outnumbered.

The brash young B-school guys in the three piece suits are the ones who are trying to kill us all, docs as well.

[w8liftinglady]

3. The American Medical Student Association shows some hope

http://www.amsa.org/AMSA/Homepage/TakeAction/CurrentCampaigns.aspx

their current campaigns:
Health Care Reform
Access to Essential Meds: Biogenerics
Global Health Initiative
Patient Safety
PharmFree Campaign

and,yes...I have 2 of their t-shirts re: Universal health care
https://online.amsa.org/amsassa/ecssashop.shopping_page

[enlightenment]

4. In addition to single payer, we need to address overall costs

of becoming a doctor. The cost of education needs to be examined. WHY does it cost so much and take so much time?

According to the AMA, the average student debt in 2009 was $100,000. That's average - private schools ratchet that up almost double, as do specialist fields and extended residencies.

In the UK, according to the BMA, the average in 2009 was between 19,000 and 47,000 GBP (or, at today's exchange rate: between $28,500 and $70,500).

Most students who enrolled after 2006, when they started charging a tuition fee, finish with around 30,000 GBP ($45,000) of debt. Granted, these lower figures are comparably difficult for young doctors because of starting salaries - though it is a misnomer that NHS docs are paid pittance - the lowest pay a trainee doctor in the NHS will make is around $35,000; a consultant (post-residency doc) starts at around $111,700.

Why such a disparity in debt? It's not like the UK is teaching bloodletting and trepanning and pushing these folks out the door. The standard course of study is six years, with an additional two years (paid at that trainee rate, which tiers up each year) paid. That is soup to nuts - undergraduate to working professional. I suspect you could add a couple of years for specialist training - but it is still 8 to 10 years.

In the US, the average between matriculating into med school (a graduate program that assumes a four year undergraduate degree) and completing residency is 7 to 10 years . . . add the undergraduate degree and it comes to anywhere between 11 to 14 years - and it's only in the last 3-5 that you can expect any sort of livable income.

Something has gone haywire in the process.

[w8liftinglady]

6. I agree 100%..there should be loan forgiveness in exchange for service.

My neurosurgeon is a great example.he entered medical school in 1985.didn't start practicing "On his own" until 1995.That is 10 freaking years(not even counting an undergrad degree).It is difficult to impossible for these docs to have any semblance of a "normal" life during this time.

My neurosurgeon was one of the ones who truly was "In it for the patient".
I am living,talking proof of that.

[Hannah Bell]

7. it costs so much to ration care & keep medical costs high -- & prevent private

practices outside the for-profit system.

[tech9413]

8. If it weren't for the AMA, many more could enter the profession

I think all medical careers should be subsidized for the cost of training and extended beyond graduation for those willing to work in low income communities.

[Dappleganger]

5. What a great story!

We are also VERY lucky to have several pro-universal health care doctors and dental folks in our circle. The kids' pediatrician (we've used her for 9 years), my family doctor and dentist are all from foreign countries (the Philippines and Russia) so that probably is why.

[NotThisTime]

9. We had a similar experience a while back

with 2 40ish doctors at a hospital during a life illness my DH let develop without saying a word... These doctors want MORE people to have insurance and use it. DH wound up in the hospital for months with these guys, very nice guys indeed....I think I had my Obama shirt on several times :)

Even my dentist office recently mentioned to me how they wanted everyone to get care not just those of us who currently have insurance. They wanted HCR to go much further..

Thanks for sharing your story, there are plenty of doctors out there who really do care.....

[Barack_America]

10. That's why I went to medical school.

That's why I campaigned for Obama.

Hopefully it will all work out.

[Daphne08]

11. My first cousin is a physician and he says the best

healthcare system in the world is probably the French system although he thinks the one in Canada is good.

I've also heard him say that healthcare in America is excellent - if you have good insurance and money.

He's told me many times that he personally wouldn't mind paying more in taxes for universal care in the U.S.