From the
PRESIDENT
ROBERT “BOB” H. COUCH, MD, MBA
GLMS President | [email protected]
MINDFULNESS
T
he Greater Louisville Medical Society
is actively involved with medical students at the University of Louisville.
I had the pleasure to address the incoming
Class of 2019. GLMS provides all members
of the incoming class with their first white
coats. It is a memorable ceremony attended
by proud parents, grandparents and friends
of the students.
Before the students are presented with
their white coats, they pledge to uphold
the Declaration of Geneva. When I entered
medical school during the last millennium at the University of Alabama, I took
the Oath of Hippocrates. Many medical
schools have abandoned the ancient Oath,
and in adopting the Declaration of Geneva,
they bring new social consciousness into
existence.
The Declaration brings many improvements over the Oath, such as “I will not
permit considerations of age, disease or
disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual
orientation, social standing or any other
factor to intervene between my duty and my
patient.” These things weren’t considered in
ancient times, I suppose. The Declaration
doesn’t mention the obligation to share
our wealth with our teachers contained in
the Oath, “…and if he is in need of money
to give him a share of mine,” so I suppose
modern thinkers believe that medical school
faculty are adequately compensated.
I spoke to the students about the significance of the white coat, and mentioned the
words of Dr. Greg Henry, a past president of
the American College of Emergency Physicians, who talks about his White Coat Ritual. He says, “Every time I put on the coat, I
stop for two minutes. I stop for two minutes
and remember Galen and Hippocrates. I
pick up the coat: ‘To whatever house I shall
enter, it shall be for the benefit of the sick.’
At that moment I am Doctor of Medicine;
I carry with me a 2,500 year tradition, and
shame on me if I do not carry it out with
dignity for the next eight hours. My problems are not the patient’s problems. For that
period of time, I am the agent and servant of
the patient - I am proud to be the servant of
the sick. I put on that coat and I’m a better
person. All my petty prejudices should disappear when the coat goes on. That’s what
the coat is all about.” I am encouraged by
these words, and reminded of the weight of
our responsibility. It makes me remember
my ancient Oath.
One thing that was not mentioned, but is
becoming more evident to me, is the need to
be mindful. We’re being pushed and pulled
in countless directions, by government regulations, financial pressures, stress, sicker
patients and longer hours, and the need
to adopt ever-more-complex technological
advances. What is missing in all of this, I
believe, is a sense of the moment.
Mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or
complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis. When I first heard about it, I
was skeptical, thinking it was just another
New Age fad. As I learn more about it, I
believe that understanding and embracing
this concept can be beneficial.
Being mindful with our patients can give
us power and make us better physicians. By
concentrating on the moment, we achieve
an actual awareness of what is happening at
that time, instead of thinking about trying
to fix the immediate problem, hurry on to
the next patient, returning a pressing phone
call, answering an email, or thinking about
when we’re going to get a br