offer. I also learned that small efforts, such as vaccination programs, education support, and personal service had the potential to make a difference. As a social worker who had responsibility for children in long-term placement as a result of medical conditions or family disintegration, I learned about the bureaucracy of getting care for individuals who had few resources. When I started work at the Treasury Department, I found out that I was one of the first women in my position( which was billed as“ economic social work” by an interviewer), and had to prove my mettle by taking on additional duties and getting an advanced degree to even get consideration for a promotion. An offer of an administrative position pulled me back to my original goal, and I redirected myself back to pre-med, in the face of a hiring freeze, to strengthen my resolve.
The“ toolkit” I brought to medical school helped me immeasurably. I was happy to be among classmates who had made a mature decision to go to medical school. After all, our keynote lecture from Joe Allegra was,“ If you are here to make big bucks as a doctor, think again, and enroll in business school.” We started classes during the birth of HMOs and the death-knell of the idea of independent demi-god docs who were considered infallible. I already understood that humor and empathy were valuable in giving information that was too technical or painful to absorb. I also knew that small victories from persistence and cooperation were worth celebrating, because that might be all we, as individuals, could accomplish.
My training taught me that humility, the ability to listen, attention to detail, as well as technical skills were what made what I considered the“ best” in medical practice, and I chose my mentors with these considerations in mind. Being part of a team meant everyone who came in contact with the patient and working as a functional unit made the most sense and had the best results. Obstetrics and gynecology gave me the most likely avenue to pursue my goals, as I had the most positive experiences in this area.
Intellectual curiosity was not status quo criticism, and might be extra work, but learning was the payoff. My undergraduate university’ s motto,“ Meliora”( ever better), was a great reference point. My internal medicine year before I completed my OB / Gyn residency gave me many opportunities where extra reading was imperative to understanding the many“ non-routine” diseases that our patients presented to us. The Socratic method of teaching was the best way to make us think rather than regurgitate, so my ignorance was a prompt to find answers. My residency helped me understand my part in a community, which was more than just doctors, but also the people we worked beside and the population we served.
Medicine has taught me that the status quo is not an end, silence is not“ golden,” and even small efforts from committed individuals can bring positive results.
As a result of my age, gender and experience, my practice style was a bit incongruous to the prevailing mode of volume-driven,
bring positive results.
testosterone-fueled, physician-centric practice models that I was introduced to after residency. Because I was a“ commodity”( one of a few women in my specialty), I posted my results in better outcomes, if not higher income, and eventually found a home with other like-minded physicians; I am proud still to call them colleagues.
My only regret is that I started in medicine so late that I would not be able to help the women whose babies I delivered experience the joy of the delivery of their grandchildren. My current professional life is in occasional administrative work, and volunteer mission activities( both here and international), and work with my specialty to make it“ ever better.”
Medicine has taught me that the status quo is not an end, silence is not“ golden,” and even small efforts from committed individuals can
I hope my illustrious classmates have the same outlook. They are the examples and mentors for the future of medicine.
Dr. Rigby works as a consultant / contract medical examiner for Kentucky Retirement Systems, and also for ACOG ' s Safety Certification in Outpatient Excellence in Women ' s Health program.
MARCH 2017 23