Specialties I nearly became a cardiothoracic surgeon. I was fascinated by the surgeries and what can be done with the human body. It greatly excited me intellectually, but I quickly realized that they were not the type of people who fit me. Many of the negative stereotypes of a high-powered surgeon were on full display where I trained, and that was enough to drive me to my true home of FM! Current Practice I ended up falling into my current clinical role coming out of residency. There was an opportunity, I loved academics, and I absolutely loved the structure of the clinic. We are our own Medicaid HMO, and as such, we act as both the care provider and the payer. The clinic has psychiatrists, therapists, case managers and many more disciplines. We also have hour-long appointments, which is huge! The practice removes many of the biggest frustrations with medicine, and I don’t see myself practicing anywhere else. I came to love the population I serve and now consider them “my people.” Working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is extremely rewarding and very demanding. It is often very difficult from an intellectual and emotional standpoint, but so many in this population are so loving, giving and wise. Like so many experiences with patient care, sometimes there isn’t anything that can be done about their physical or mental condition, but we can walk with them in their journey. That’s the best and worst part of FM. Academic Medicine Academic medicine is awesome! Creating new knowledge through research, passing along existing knowledge to students, staying up on brand-new research findings, and caring for patients in a setting unlike any other — it keeps me on my toes and helps me fill my professional needs and desires. There are fantastic students and residents coming up who will do a great job caring for me when I’m old. Meeting the Demand for Family Physicians I get frustrated every time I hear about a new medical school opening. Given multiple barriers, it is really hard to open new residencies. We now have more graduating students than residency slots in the U.S., which is ridiculous. As long as schools can turn a profit by churning out students and we fail to create more GME training opportunities, we’re doing the students and our society a great disservice. In order to draw more students to FM and primary care, we need to continue to work on the frustrations inherent in the system, such as reimbursement, prior authorizations, legislators dictating how we practice medicine, etc. It’s an uphill battle, but it’s definitely worth it! Influences of Becoming a Published Author I’ve published three books: “Fallible: A Memoir of a Young Physician’s Struggle with Mental Illness;” “HOSPITAL! A Medical Satire of Unhealthy Proportions;” and “When All Hope Seems Lost: A Gospel Perspective on Mental Illness in Youth.” Obviously, my profession has dictated a lot of the topics about which I write, but it has also led me to find greater satisfaction for and appreciation of my patients and chosen career. I think about things differently and from different perspectives. I explore the emotional and intangible aspects of caring for people in medicine more. And writing satire is just a lot of fun. You can get my books by scanning the QR code and subscribe to the Hypocritic Oath weekly newsletter at hypocriticoath.substack.com. https://www.amazon.com/ stores/Kyle-Bradford-Jones/ author/B082WKSNYY Any Last Thoughts I love doing different things that interest me, but it can be intimidating (writing, stand-up comedy, juggling while standing on your head). I think a lot of us hold back on trying such things. I would encourage you to try new things and embrace new opportunities! 33
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