Gloom for Improvement: A Poem Call for Unhappy Physicians

Operator, please connect me to all unhappy doctors in the United States,
Those who consider themselves and the system to be in desperate straits.

How do I know these doctors are so glum?
Well, I listen, and I’m not deaf and dumb.

And I read things in books, websites, and Forbes, 1-3
Everything about unhappy doctors the media absorbs.

How many of them, you ask, are practicing out there?
2/3s of them,500,000: I pull that number out of thin air.

Pause….

Am I talking to unhappy doctors practicing in the U.S.?
Those of you who consider everything as a unholy mess?

What I’m about to say is you for the good,
For you in the sisterhood and brotherhood.

You say America is going in the wrong direction,
And the economy is headed into a deep recession.

You say your revenues are flat,
And health plans are getting fat.

You say patients suffer from lack of access,
And country’s compassion is in recess.

Yes, I know the health system is full of unnecessary regulations,
Unrealistic patient expectations, and unfair doctor accusations.

Yes, I’m aware malpractice lawyers are on the offensive,
Forcing up costs and making you practice on the defensive.

Above all, I know this,
A notion no one can dismiss.

No one wants to have a doctor with low morale,
Not here, not there, not anywhere in any locale.

My message is; there’s always gloom for improvement,
You’re part of the physician empowerment movement.

Relax,
Face these facts.

Take a look at a physician networking site called Sermo.com
Physician outrage is ticking there like an undetonated bomb.

It’s about to explode in an Open Letter to the American Public,
Which will tell it is like for doctors in the American Republic.

Physician revival in on the way,
Soon to be shown in full display.

Through your collective voices warning of less access,
Congress will the Medicare payment cuts suppress.

Patients still trust you more than politicians
Whom they consider to be mere rhetoricians

Most of you remain at the top of the economic food chain,
Though practitioners are riding and idling in the slow lane.

And keep in mind you’re still in a noble profession,
And for the most part, you can still use your discretion,

So show good cheer,
Better times are near.

In short, be happy,
Be upbeat and snappy.

Let me be clear,
Have no fear,

Things are better
Than they appear.

1) James Merritt, Joseph Hawkins, and Phillip Miller, Will The Last Physician in America Please Turn Off the Lights? A Look at America’s Looming Doctor Shortage, Practice Support Resources, 2004.

2) Edwin, Leaped, MD, “Unhappy Physicians, Healthleadersmedia.com, May 21, 2008.

3) Tara Weiss, “Reasons Not to Become a Doctor,” Forbes, May 5, 2008.