Ten Years of Wearing the White Coat by KATHRYN VANCE
This fall , GLMS welcomed community VIPs and physician preceptors to take part in our 10 th year of the Wear the White Coat Experience . Wear the White Coat gives community leaders a behind-the-scenes look at the medical profession by pairing them with physicians they shadow in their practices . Through the experience , leaders from business , education , government , media and non-profit organizations have the opportunity to exchange ideas for improving the health in our community .
After a hiatus since 2019 due to the pandemic , the program was back in full force this year and provided our class with outstanding experiences . At the “ Post-Op ” conclusion of the experience in November , our participants were able to hear from others and share what they learned during their shadowing . Many participants reflected on the patience of physicians and the time that they spend caring for their patients at visits .
Kentucky State Representative Sarah Stalker shadowed Dr . Joshua Meier , an orthopaedic surgeon with Norton Healthcare , and said , “ It was fascinating to see how well of a job he did , knowing that his appointments were running in 15-minute increments . He did a beautiful job of not making people feel rushed . There is an art to that , to be able to sit and listen and hear the concerns and not make them feel rushed .”
Deacon Stephen Bowling , Director of Family and Life Ministries at the Archdiocese of Louisville , shadowed Dr . Sean Miller ,
16 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE an otolaryngologist with Kentuckiana ENT , and echoed those sentiments , saying , “ He sees 30 + patients every day and it runs like amazing clockwork . And he is so present for every single one . It went so fast , but there was always that aspect of personal care for those who are hurting or in need . I was so glad to see that ’ s something that ’ s human for all of us and that ’ s so present in the medical community , just as in what I do .”
Many of the participants also noted that they learned the team-based approach in medicine is vital to the success of our physicians . From the office staff to medical assistants to the team in an operating room , everyone has a vital role to play .
Kentucky State Representative Keturah Herron , who shadowed Dr . Aneeta Bhatia , an anesthesiologist with UofL Health , said that her biggest takeaway was how in the OR , they all have a job in the room . “ There are moments when they ’ re not speaking , they ’ re all just doing their job and they ’ re moving together at the same beat . It ’ s like a lovely dance . With the work I do as a legislator , it reminded me that we have parts and roles in the community and that everyone ’ s roles are different . In the OR , the doctor is only as good as their team . As a legislator , we are only as good as the people that we ’ re surrounding ourselves with .”
We are so grateful for those who participated in this year ’ s Wear the White Coat Experience and hope you made lasting memories . If you ’ re a physician interested in being a preceptor for our program this year , please reach out to Kathryn Vance at kathryn . vance @ glms . org .