I normally avoid politics. However, this past week’s news of both the assignation attempt on Former President Trump and the withdrawal of President Biden from the presidential race triggered many thoughts.
I thought about what it’s like for the physicians who treat high-visibility patients.
I also thought about an aging physician’s competence to perform this elevated duty.
My Story That Shapes My Perspective
For those of you who are new to the Engaging Doctors community, here’s my story. I’m trained as a surgeon. I ran my own private practice in Seattle before I made my transition to an author/speaker/coach/consultant about doctors and money.
During my surgical training almost forty years ago, the University of Washington Surgical Department ran a mass casualty drill. It was a wild moulage exercise.
Actors rolled into the emergency room for their unique trauma victim roles with a rehearsed trauma story, attire and realistic horror movie makeup. Imagine the actor “impaled” by a pole entering and exiting his abdomen. The actors were coached about how to answer medical staff’s questions and how to respond to the physicians’ examining hands.
We surgical residents simply walked into the trauma suite to evaluate and treat our individual patients. The senior surgeon evaluator who was in the room acted as our nursing staff. Based on our ability to follow trauma protocols, we surgeons-in-training would either pass or fail the trauma drill.
I walked into my room. My “patient” was a middle-aged man who was lying on his side and moaning in pain. However, my attention was drawn to my “nurse” and surgical evaluator. It was none other than surgical legend and University of Washington Chair of the Department of Surgery Dr. James Carrico.
I was star-struck. It’s sort of like a singing audition in front of Adele. Dr. Carrico used humor to calm me down. I started talking to the “patient” who told me he was standing on the sidewalk when a truck struck him in his left flank, pinning him to a wall. Now he was “pissing blood.”
Apparently I was taking too long to think through the case. Dr. Carrico asked, “Dr. Rackner, what would you like to do?”
I knew the patient could have kidney trauma, so I wanted to order ax X-ray study called a retrograde urethrogram. In the trenches it’s called a RUG.
I said, “We need a RUG. Please order one.”
Dr, Carrico went to the door and pretended to get a door mat. He shook the pantomimed rug and said, “Here you go!”
I passed the exercise. I remember Dr. Carrico’s major criticism. “There is no place for please in the trauma suite.”
While I personally disagree, I had to defer to Dr. Carrico’s opinion. He knew trauma.
Treating Shot Presidents
Dr. Carrico did his surgical training at Parkland Medical Center. On November 22, 1963, he was the first physician to treat the mortally wounded President Kennedy.
I’ve heard Dr. Carrico tell his story about this history-altering day to groups of surgeons. You can hear him tell his story publicly for the first time here. He spoke about how treatment protocols guided the care of President Kennedy.
Former President Trump was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital after he was shot. The Secret Service had visited the hospital just hours before and talked with the staff about a plan in the event that the Former President was shot. What if one of the trauma surgeons were 75 years old? Would there be a question about whether that surgeon would be up to the task of treating a world leader?
When to Hang Up the White Coat?
When patients arrive in the ER, they’re not asked, “Would you like to be treated by Dr. A or Dr. B?” Patients trust that all members of the treating team are up to the job and on their A game that day.
How do aging physicians decide, “I’ve passed my prime. It’s time to hang up my white coat.” What happens if and when they do not have the awareness they should retire?
Dr. Carrico never faced the question of his retirement. He died of colon cancer at the age of 67. He was the president-elect of the American College of Surgeons at the time of his death.
Physicians hold deep commitments to their patients. They derive tremendous satisfaction from their professional activities. No matter how much they enjoy golf, there often mourn the end their careers. They do so because they put the needs of their patients above their own.
President Biden express this sentiment eloquently as he explained to the nation why he is stepping aside. He placed the needs of the people he serves over his own wants to continue with the job he loved.
What Does This Have to Do with You?
You’re in this community because you want to help physicians build wealth.
Please know that there are some physicians who continue to work past their prime because they didn’t have a relationship with you and a don’t have a plan for a dignified retirement. They’re working because they cannot afford to retire.
You may have heard me tell the story about the OB still delivering babies into his 80’s. After yet another lawsuit, the hospital’s risk management staff asked him why he continues to work. He confessed that he has virtually no retirement savings. He was going to have to work until his dying day.
When his employer learned this, they purchased this physician an annuity. They calculated it would be the less expensive option.
Every time you help a physician build wealth, you are offering them the option of a dignified retirement. This is a life-altering for the physicians you serve.
So, thank you for your dedication to serving physicians!
How I Can Help You
I am here to support your success has you attract, engage and serve doctor clients.
How do I do that:
- Courses. The Cracking the Physician Code course is like “medical marketing school.” I show you how to build a physician-friendly practice step by step. It’s available as a self-paced home study course. You can register here and begin today!
- Coaching. The Cracking the Physician Code tuition includes year of bi-monthly group coaching. Some advisors prefer 1:1 coaching. In 6 month private coaching engagements, I can show you exactly what to say and what to do to get the results you seek in the medical market. I have a limited number of spots. If you’re interested, please respond to this email with the specific goals you have for private coaching.
- Content. I create content proven to delight physicians. You can license my content as “yummy treats” to reach out to doctors.
I also offer a one year Next Level B2D Power Prospecting Program that includes all three elements and offers an accelerated path towards success. I only work with elite advisors whom I personally interview.