In Support of Wear the White Coat
I
often tell trainees that I get more from patients than they get from me. Over the years I have received lessons on long term health, managing a career as you age, staying connected to family and occasionally getting the helpful piece of cooking inspiration. But saying this out loud is an opportunity to pause and accept that the patient-physician relationship is a two-way street, and it acknowledges what I get in return. I think I remember saying this out loud to Sarah.
Sarah Robbins, who is the COO of 21c Hotels group, shadowed me for a day. It was a pleasure having her around, because she is pleasant. She observed quite a bit and didn’ t say much about the organization until near the end of the day. She described what she saw as a system optimized to meet my rate-limiting step. She also noted the way everyone worked seamlessly in concert toward the same goal, without a hitch, throughout the day. She noticed I hesitated, I suppose, because she asked whether I agreed. In typical physician mode, I responded I felt I could do more. As we ended our day, my predominant thought was simply that it made good sense to me that she was in a leadership role.
Then we had our end-of-program dinner and through the course of the conversation she described some of her interactions with her own staff, the way she guides them, gives space and grace even, when needed. It finally hit me. I need to thank my staff more, be
22 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
by Benjamin Rogers, MD and Sarah Robbins
happier with my output and accept my place as the bottleneck that I am. I began to think more about the things she highlighted: patient interactions and caregivers’ roles in society at large. And then it really hit me. I had received a brief but incredibly insightful consultation from an operations expert. I suppose I knew it from the start, it just took a while for me to grasp. I suppose I should have expected to get more from Sarah than she got from me.
I can say for certain after hearing from local physician, politicians and business leaders following the Wear the White Coat event – in addition to personal experience – that my exchange with Sarah was not an isolated event. She and I were just one case demonstrating that human interaction, outreach and good old-fashioned“ taking that extra step” will always be important elements in improving care delivery for our future patients. If that isn’ t enough for you, then just participate for your own good. You won’ t regret it.
Dr. Rogers is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the University of Louisville and practices with UofL Health.
Sarah Robbins is the Chief Operating Officer & VP Operations – US for 21c Hotels and is a member of the 2025 class of the Wear the White Coat Experience.