Chapter One: Personal Moments
This is an excerpt from the book A Physician in the Political Arena: Ethics, Duty and the Pandemic. The Chapter “Personal Moments” recounts a few significant events in my past and shares reflections on how my beliefs and core values were established. My family history and medical career details provide a better understanding of how I came to value and advocate for patient-centred care.
The full text of chapter one can be found online at MerrileeFullerton.com.
What it means to be a family physician
I come from a family of doctors -- both of my siblings are doctors -- and I attribute that to our family upbringing. My father was safety conscience and my mother was empathetic; both parents were family and community minded. They imparted their concern for personal health with us as we grew up. My becoming a doctor, especially a family physician, was an embodiment of all this that my parents passed along. It is summed up with the question, “How do you make life better?”
I remember all the doctors I have seen over the years with my kids and family members and realize how important they were for me as a mother seeking help for my children. When you are exhausted and have had something very troubling happen, or you are dealing with something very emotional with your family members, accessing care from your doctor is like the cavalry coming over the hill to help. In their office or at your side in a hospital emergency setting, your doctor is tremendously comforting when s/he says, “We are going to sort this out.”
I hope as a family doctor that I was able to help people in the same way my family’s doctors helped us. I have had former patients tell me I was there for them. This support is so very important to me. It is about community and family. It is about making things better.
In some ways family doctors have become much more important because they are the only connection people have to the supports they need. It used to be that individuals were connected and helped through church groups, the community, and service clubs. Now, most personal concerns are managed through social or health services, whether it is through a health unit, a community medical clinic, or visiting the hospital emergency department. Today, being a family doctor means not only quarterbacking multiple health needs of patients at all the levels of care, but being a link to growing layers of services with all the administrative requirements.
To take this to another level, a family doctor experiences people’s pain and fear. The empathy of a physician creates the foundation for helping one another, and for trust. Empathy is the essence of humanity. I have always tried to bring that empathy to the people I meet, in my practice, and later in politics.
My beliefs are deeply rooted. I fully appreciate what a doctor or medical professional means to an individual’s life experience, what it means to families and the community. It is a weighty and meaningful responsibility.
Many changes in elder care
During the decades that I served as a family physician there have been significant changes in the care of elders. There have been shifts in family dynamics, improvements in longevity, and increased complexity of care required. There are also the growing demands for diagnostics and preventative interventions, coupled with advancements of medical science and technology, holding new potential to treat and support, but also impacting costs for care….
The family physician is most often required to coordinate this care.
You can read the full text of Chapter One: Personal Moments here.