Who ya gonna call?
My original foray into medicine was about the same time as the original Star Wars movie (1977). Wow! George Lucas made a movie on the razor edge of incredible special effects and Dolby Sound. It was a game-changer for everybody.
It was when John Gage, Roy DeSoto, and the TV show EMERGENCY were famous. EMTs were just being trained across the country, a time before cell phones and the internet. There were just lots of books, and in hindsight, books with reasonably limited knowledge. I was just a teenager looking to do something cool, so there were many mentors to help with questions, guidance, and encouragement.
Jump forward 25 years, I'm graduating from PA School. 1st job as a new PA is starting, and everything flashes back to my 1st job in medicine, the EMT. Everything is new; can I do this? Who do I call for help (oops, it's me most of the time)? Lots of trial and error, studying endless hours just like in school. The internet is ramping up, but there are still many written materials. In hindsight, it is still a relatively limited repository of information at your fingertips. Mentors were still needed, perhaps more than ever, for questions, guidance, and, even more importantly, encouragement.
I spent ten years treating patients as a PA and 30+ years in medicine. Still, nothing compares to the challenges of starting my bone health/osteoporosis (BHO) practice. Even with a good knowledge base, the mysteries and uncertainties began again.
Where would I get assistance for a BHO patient in my clinic with a challenging case? Building my own assistance network was arduous, but it was a journey I didn't have to take alone. It was a combination of phone calls and meeting people at conferences to network. I sometimes reached out to speakers I had previously listened to. Sales reps, pharmacists, and nobody else was off limits in becoming a part of my network. This process, though challenging, was a testament to the supportive community in the medical field.
The more I knew, the more questions I had. As I developed more clinical experience in BHO and found some solid references for base knowledge, it was easier to self-teach. I'm living proof of the truth in saying, "It's hard to know what you don't know."
As I've been in practice longer, I've become a mentor for several individuals nationwide. It is my honor to pay it forward, just like others did for me, and to join their mentor circle. This experience has reinforced the importance of mentorship in my journey, and I hope it resonates with you, my colleagues, and my mentees as well.
I'm sitting with my 10-year-old grandson, watching the original Ghost Busters (circa 1984). I've watched it hundreds of times as my kids were growing up. It still brings back memories (and chills) of "Who ya gonna call?"
Reflecting on the last 40-plus years, a solid knowledge base is critical in any job, and medicine is no different. That was the onus for starting the ASOP. But just as important, "Who ya gonna call?" In this age of "modern" technology, you can go to multiple ECHOs, call/text/email a mentor, and even do this on social media. But I want to provide another forum for communications.
BHO treatment started taking shape in about 1970 as a disease state. In 55 years, we have come light years in our knowledge of the disease, its impacts, and treatments. And the knowledge base is expanding exponentially.
The primary purpose of this blog is not just to tell my story. It provides a forum for people seeking assistance with their challenges, be it clinical, marketing, billing, workflow, etc.
