Why I like my doctors and how you can too

Doc Shop in action

I’ve seen the light and after years in health care truly treasure the benefits of actually liking my doctor not just having someone who can call in a prescription for antibiotics on the rare times I need them.

While I work in health care I don’t often find myself at the doctor’s office – at least not for my own care. But what struck me after a recent appointment was just how crucial it is to have a doctor who you can trust to lay all your cards on the table with even while in a flimsy gown with a sheet covering your legs. Would I have rather been getting my nails done than been at the doctor? Of course I would. But having close relationships with my physicians make it where visits are pleasant and even somewhat enjoyable.

Both of my doctors have a few things in common. They’re realists. They don’t harp. They don’t tell me things just have to be that way. They search for realistic solutions. They’re supportive and encouraging. They try different things. They are genuinely nice people who I could see myself catching up with over a glass of wine if the circumstances were different. But beyond being nice they stay incredibly current on the latest medical information and aren’t afraid to break it down for someone lacking an M.D. They don’t sigh or try to rush me when I pull out a list of questions. Perhaps most of all, they’re not afraid to pass me off on a referral to a specialist if needed. As a patient, I respect when they take a pause to say I don’t know or to double check a medicine. I like it when they pull out their iPhone or search for options on the computer in the exam room.

I spent years going to a doctor who didn’t do all this. When I met my two main doctors it was after doing extensive research. And I’d met both of them in person. I’d had a chance to get a sense for how they’d handle questions without having to take off my clothes first. That made the first exam room encounter with each much more comforting and we already had a rapport.

When I selected my primary care doctor I had just stopped being a newspaper health care reporter. I’d interviewed doctors at his practice several times and knew all the details of the technology they bring to their patients. I appreciated that I can email and that has been incredibly helpful for questions over the years since.

And before you say it, I know most people don’t have the access that a newspaper reporter does, but that brings me to the way I picked out my other doctor.

When I picked my OB/GYN it was through another interviewing technique – the Doc Shop. The story of how the Doc Shops came to be has been widely documented in newspaper and TV stories during the past 18 months. For more details or to read those stories and get a feel for the Doc Shops, click here. I can honestly say that when I heard the concept for the Doc Shop I wondered why no one had tried it before. It’s brilliant. No cost to the patient other than losing a lunch hour, or the case of the next Doc Shop 30 minutes on your way home from work. And you get to interview a handful of doctors. If you don’t find the right fit you walk away no worse for the experience. But most who come, including myself, find at least one doctor they can click with.

If you are searching for that perfect doctor for you, we have an upcoming Doc Shop for OB/GYN physicians. For more details, see here or call 1-877-THR-WELL. We can’t all have the access of reporters or other professions that see the doctors up close, but with the Doc Shops anyone can get that access to interview a physician and take control of their own health care. And, if you’re anything like me, that can be a comfort that can turn a dreaded yearly task into a pleasurable experience.

Jennifer Erickson
Sr. PR Specialist
Texas Health HEB