Wow, third block of 1st semester is almost over. Where did the first semester go? Amidst the brachial plexus, cranial nerves, trilaminar plate, and "Dom's double rainbow", it's really easy to get bogged down in the details of medical school. This just means that it is more important now than ever that medical students not lose site of the forest for the trees. Let's regroup for a moment: we will see patients someday. They will bring with them their thoughts, fears, maladies and humanity. All of this we must synthesize and interpret in order to provide them with unmatched care and healing.
So, what's the point of all this? Well, it's really quite simple. Begin caring for your future patients today.
Go vote.
I will be voting because the health of my patients matters to me. I will fight tooth and nail so that they have access to the best health care there is.
To my future patients: you are my primary concern although I have yet to have the honor of meeting and caring for you.
One of the real travesties I've noticed during undergrad is that while many premed students are notorious for being real go-getters - the ones that (admirably) shadow physicians for added experience, organize community service projects and readily volunteer to help others - they are often driven by an ulterior motive: the almighty resumé. Accordingly, more subjective achievements like participating a democracy are granted less importance in the battle for extracurricular time. This is not to say that the things I listed are not important, much instead they are all well, good and fine and are a testament to the tenacity of tomorrow's doctors. However, what I ask of myself and the future physicians around me is to channel that energy into other arenas as well, such as advocacy. Put simply:
Go vote.
Whether we like it or not, the fate of the American health system as it stands did not happen overnight. Nor can we ignore the fact that institutions such as the AMA, ACP and others have been advising and influencing legislation during this process and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The decisions coming from the chambers of Congress have real effects on our patients, doctors. Additionally, we have a say in who we will work with in making those decisions in the future.
Fight for your patients. Go vote.
Volunteer. Work the Saturday Free Clinic. Be a helpful person. But also, be an active member of the democracy you are in. Your vote is absolutely vital to the outcomes of your patients.
True, this is a heavy burden to bear, but then again, who said this whole process was easy? This is our profession now. We must be active in it. The time to create change and institute policy is not twenty years from now when our patient hopefully asks you "well, what can you do for me, Doc?" It is today. Go to your local voting poll, grab a pen, and check off the names of those that represent your interests and will enable you to best answer that question. No one expects you to know everything about politics and this election. But they do expect that you put forth an effort. Don't know who is who? Well, there are some good resources for just that (see below). Take a break from studying for exams and spend the twenty minutes to make a decision. Research the candidates, even if briefly. Ask other people around you for their thoughts. Talk to your advisers. Hell, grab a physician in the hallway and ask them about this whole "health care reform thinga-majig".
The same is true for patients. Physicians are not the only ones who should have a say in your health care. The best medical care is always prevention, but in this case, advocacy is a very close second.
Please, go vote.
Sincerely,
Raman Kutty
Medical Student
The Medical College of Wisconsin
Resources
For the Wisconsinites: Journal Sentinel Online ballot summary
ACP/AARP summary of the effects of the health care law
General advocacy site of the American College of Physicians (ACP)
Current topics in advocacy courtesy of the American Medical Association (AMA)
Nice ending.
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