What Doctors Can Learn From the Girl Scouts: Respect

Posted on February 26, 2015

Doctors Can Learn Respect from the Girl ScoutsAs many of you know, I am a girl scout troop leader. (Love girl power. Building girls of confidence, courage and character.)  In the girl scout promise they focus on respect.

What is respect? I decided to look it up in the dictionary.

re·spect

 /rɪˈspɛkt/ Show Spelled[ri-spekt]

noun
–verb (used with object)
Wow.  What great thoughts, and where has this gone in modern times?  This seems like a good thing for doctors and patients to show and do.
We doctors should respect our patients. 
Respect others and authority.  As a doctor who has been in practice for over 15 years and done hundreds and  hundreds of surgeries, I am an authority.  You will have surgery once, maximum maybe a handful of times in your lifetime.  This is my job.  This is what I do all the time.  Please listen to me.  The internet has given everyone access to information.  I think information is great, but you need a filter.  Not everything in print, particularly on the internet, is correct.  I am happy to answer questions and help you filter what you find.  To get to be your doctor I went through 4 years of medical school, followed by general surgery residency, plastic surgery residency, and then a breast and cosmetic fellowship.  I lived in a hospital for the entire decade of my twenties to learn my craft.
I am human.  I also am a friend, sister, daughter, and mother with a family.  I put my all into my job.   If you are ever unhappy, I would ask you show me the respect I show you and please talk to me.  There is a reason you picked me to be your doctor.
Respect.  It is a quality lacking in these modern times.  Let’s take a lesson from the girlscouts.