Tag: teamwork

An idea alone is not enough.

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The Monroe Community Players have turned 75 years old

The Monroe Community Players, started by Marie and Bill Smith 75 years ago. It’s hard to believe isn’t it? They are still going strong after all these years. There have been pandemics, pauses, and economic crises. And yet, they are still viable. I can remember my first players experience. My father-in-law invited me in during Fiddler on the Roof to play in the pit orchestra. I thought sure what the heck? Why not? The music was fun. The people were very interesting. I was hooked immediately. A couple of years later when they ran out of funds to pay conductors, I ended up musically directing Guys and Dolls and later South Pacific. I did both of these without any paid musicians and a mix of adults and high school students. I also did these with little babies swaddled on my chest, breastfeeding!

I can remember that we really caused a stir with that because we weren’t paying anyone. I can remember telling students that they were being paid in experience which was way more valuable in the long run. I remember telling them that show experience was not common but very valuable. Several of my students ended up going into careers with music. We were all very dedicated. We rehearsed constantly. I always brought lots of baked goods and gave them out as rewards for good answers to questions like ” who knows what this cue is for?” Everybody got very good at homing in on the details and we would end up passing out baked goods like crazy. I can even remember when I started getting febrile with strep in the middle of a performance. I kept waving my arms until I just couldn’t anymore and had to be carried off the podium! That’s how badly i wanted to see it through!. I just kind of lilted off the podium at the last of the applause.

Even after those dramatic incidences, I continued to either play in the pit or direct the orchestra. I loved it. As I got busier and my practice grew, I had less time to do it though. I have missed those times.

Tonight we gather together to celebrate the last 75 years with word, vignettes, and songs. There will be a vast array of humans at all different ages, each with a different story to tell. I can’t wait to here what they have to say.

Dr. Katz

I am a physician not a magician.

A family practitioner colleague of mine used to say this all the time to patients. ” I am a physician, not a magician.” Initially it always made me laugh because I am generally a fan of quippy sayings. But then, the truth of it really began to sink in…….A truer statement was never uttered. We are physicians not magicians. We are here to guide and provide evidence-based recommendations to attempt to better the lives of our patients. We are not here to bully or coerce. We cannot force anyone to do anything. The only time that I really get bossy is when it is a matter of life or death, which I feel is reasonable…lol When we take the time to advise a patient on their next move, it is essential that we are not in the game by ourselves. There needs to be a team effort relationship between the doctor and the patient in order to be successful and mold the desired outcome. This holds true for every type of patient that I care for: aesthetic patients, addiction patients and obgyn patients. In order for the doctor patient team relationship to remain stable and fruitful, there has to be personal investment on both sides. For me, that is guaranteed. I would not be in this profession if I were not invested in every single patient in every single scenario. That is the whole reason I got into the practice of medicine: to improve and save lives and to help as many patients as my faculties allow for as long as I can.

From the patient side, however, nothing is guaranteed. I have many wonderful patients that seem to value my advice, attempt to follow it to the best of their ability and actually are able to achieve the outcomes that they want to a reasonable extent. These patients are truly a joy to care for. They are the kind of patients that you reflect on to get you through a tough day and remind you why you are doing this in the first place.

Then, there is the other subgroup of patients. These are the ones that come in after years of absence and personal neglect with high expectations that you will be able to wave your magic wand and fix all of their issues with a single sweep of your arm. These are the morbidly obese diabetics who have never even attempted to modify their lifestyles or their mental relationships with food and demand that you refer them for a gastric bypass and are outraged when you hesitate. You try to explain to them how important it is to change their mental views about food and stick with some sort of weight loss plan and even psychological counselling for six months to increase their chances of success. This just further infuriates them since they are already frustrated and blinded by their quest for a quick fix for a problem that is many many years in the making. These are the patients that request CoolSculpting ( a non-invasive fat freezing procedure) thinking that it will shrink them from a size 24 to a size 2 with absolutely no effort on their part in terms of diet and exercise and then get angry when you advise them against it, because you are not out to take their money by doing something that you know won’t work. Shame on you right? Wrong. These are the kind of patients that frustrate you, make you second guess yourself, and leave you questioning if you will ever be able to make a difference in their lives. Every interaction with them is like walking an agonizingly fine tightrope. Fall off on one side and you may satisfy them for a second, but you compromise your ethics. Fall off on the other side and you have done what’s right but they may leave and never come back. Either way someone loses, whether it is you or the patient.

The bottom line is that the doctor and the patient have to be a team. It makes sense doesn’t it? Both parties should have the same goal: the well-being of the patient. It is ideal if both parties are on the same page, but not always possible. However, even if both sides are not in agreement, goals can be achieved as long as there is a personal investment on both sides. Both parties have to play an active role in order to achieve the desired outcome. The doctor has to be actively engaged in researching and recommending solutions for the patient and the patient has to be willing to take the necessary steps to attempt to follow those recommendations in order to achieve their goals. The doctor cannot wave a magic wand any more than the patient can just sit and wish for change without taking any action. It just won’t work. Have a great day everyone.

Dr. Katz