( continued from page 31 ) involved further with a residency program in the future .”
While his schedule is consistent , his day-to-day is nothing but . The beauty of urgent care , and what keeps his work exciting , is that there are never two days the same .
“ One moment I ’ m seeing a 4-month-old with cough and congestion , the next moment I ’ m seeing a 90-year-old who fell and broke her hip and hit her head , and the next moment I ’ m seeing someone who is having chest pain or a stroke . It keeps me intrigued and challenged ,” he said . “ I also love talking to my patients . When you work in urgent care , people talk about “ treating and streeting ” because you are seeing 40 or 50 patients a day . Even if they are there for a common cold , I talk to them about their weekend or recent travel . I like to meet new people and know about their lives , while also helping them out medically and making them feel better . Treating the common cold over and over can get monotonous , but getting to know them , that ’ s different , that ’ s special .”
His love for people goes beyond his patients – it ’ s also for his staff and team , who he calls “ cohesive , dynamic and high-functioning .” Part of that appreciation stems from his own experiences in variety of roles within the health care team himself . In college while working with Dr . Boerner , he gave the advice that Dr . Pancholi needed : to volunteer at a facility where he would truly see sickness . He decided to volunteer at a skilled nursing facility as a nursing assistant .
“ Most of the patients were paraplegic or couldn ’ t speak or take care of themselves . I changed them , bathed them , took vitals , everything . Then another time , at Columbia Healthcare before it was Norton , I was a unit secretary . My job was to put doctors ’ orders into the computer ; back in the day there was no Epic or EMR ,” he said . “ I like urgent care and ER because I ’ ve seen the hard work that everyone on the team puts in . When you work in those areas , you ’ re not above anyone , you ’ re not below anyone , they are a peer , and you work with them . You respect them as much as they respect you , and that ’ s the only way to accomplish any task . I don ’ t have any reservations in terms of ‘ I ’ m the doctor , you ’ re the medical assistant ,’ I just leave that at the door , it ’ s not even a second thought .”
Over the years with working at a few different places , he ’ s gotten to see how different groups work and decided he wants to get more involved with local medical organizations to help improve health care on a larger scale . He ’ s on the Kentucky Medical Association ’ s CME Council and Legislative Council and recently completed the Kentucky Physicians Leadership Institute program . With GLMS , he is on the Policy & Advocacy Committee and recently was appointed as an At-Large Board Member . Looking forward , he wants to continue to get more involved , especially with advocacy and volunteerism .
“ That ’ s where I find peace . Engaging in the community and travel . I like to do things where I don ’ t have a tension headache thinking about what is going to happen tomorrow – when I do community work and travel , that doesn ’ t happen .”
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