President's Message
World Family Doctor Day
Recently I had the great fortune to directly-observe a medical student obtaining a history from a patient of a fellow Alberta family physician in a clinical education setting. The patient was distraught, struggling to cope under challenging circumstances which had presented multiple times before. During the interview, through tears she said to my student, “I didn’t know what to do, so I came here to talk to Dr. A. She always helps me.”
After this patient encounter, my student and I proceeded to review the patient’s situation while we were waiting for Dr. A. In addition to the medical considerations, we discussed the strong patient-doctor relationship that the patient and Dr. A share, which is clearly appreciated by this patient. My student took note of the important role that Dr. A plays in the patient’s life and her presence when needed. This patient’s family physician obviously means the world to her...