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Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet

Arch Dermatol. 2000;136:37-40.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

INTRODUCTION

Many dermatologists complain bitterly about the quality of their professional lives in the changing health care environment. Hence, as a dermatologist-in-training, you will hear negative comments about endless reams of paperwork and the evils of managed care, among other complaints. In response to current economic forces, you may be urged to work faster, seemingly without consideration for either optimal patient care or your educational needs. You may feel reduced to the role of an automaton, with meaningful interpersonal interactions delegated to nursing or paramedical personnel.

Much of your training, quite appropriately, will stress the acquisition of critical knowledge. But as you focus on your education, your patients can become mere examples of their diseases, while their human concerns can recede. And you may be encouraged to employ standard therapeutic formulas for the best (or only) way to treat various conditions that can displace you further from an accurate perception of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

LISTEN AND LEARN

WHEN TOO MUCH COMES UP, ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANCE OF EACH PROBLEM

MAKE EACH PATIENT FEEL IMPORTANT

SHARE OF YOURSELF

RESIST EXTERNAL PRESSURE TO MAKE YOUR THERAPIES MARKET-DRIVEN

TREAT THE PATIENT, NOT YOURSELF

WHEN TREATING CHILDREN, REMEMBER WHO YOUR PATIENT IS

WHEN TREATMENTS FAIL, REASSESS THE PATIENT'S
EXPECTATIONS AND COMPLIANCE

ADMIT YOUR LIMITATIONS AND GET HELP

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS

SHOW RESPECT FOR YOUR PATIENTS

Initial Meeting

Attire and Personal Hygiene

Punctuality

Modesty

Be a Team Player

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Peter M. Elias, MD
Dermatology Service (190)
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
2150 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94121
(e-mail: eliaspm@itsa.ucsf.edu)

Mary L. Williams, MD
San Francisco