The doctor’s doctor

A few months into my residency, a patient and her husband came to see me in clinic. The history revealed they had already sought the opinions of two internationally acknowledged giants in the field of retinal disease, one of whom was a department chairman.

The answers they received on those visits had differed somewhat, so they were now coming to get the tie-breaking third opinion.

“Thank goodness they have no idea I am just a first-year resident,” I thought to myself.

I was partially into my examination when I heard a knock at the door and in walked, Arun, my fellow first-year resident from the room next door.

“Excuse me, Dr. McDonnell. May I ask you to take a brief look at my patient in the next room and give me your recommendation about how to treat him?”

“Will you please excuse me?” I asked my patient, and headed off with Arun.

“I have never seen anything like this,” Arun said as we walked to his exam room.

Arun was a gifted resident and already an impressive clinician. I knew if he didn’t know what the patient had it was bound to be something unusual. And it was.

“Sorry,” I said. “I have no idea what it is.”

We agreed he would ask our chief resident to take a look. Our chief resident, it seemed, had seen and knew everything.

I headed back toward my room, wondering how I would be able to satisfy this patient and her husband when two world-famous household names in retina had previously been unable.

I entered my room and apologized for making them wait. The lady in my exam chair just sat there smiling at me. She was more than smiling-she was beaming. I looked at her husband and he had the same expression on his face.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” they replied.

“We were just talking about you. We know the really great doctors are the ones that other doctors ask to consult on their patients. We are happy we have found one of those great doctors.”

I completed my examination and-to my surprise-was able to diagnose and explain the problem to the patient and her husband. The two previous ophthalmologists had not really disagreed but instead had used different terms.

According to the couple, there had been limited opportunity for them to ask questions or request clarification. That left the patient and husband confused and anxious. I spent a few minutes explaining all this and making sure they didn’t have any other questions.

They claimed to be very happy they had come to see me, the great doctor whose opinion other doctors seek! I think mainly they were satisfied because they were given time to make sure they were clear about what was happening to her eyes.

At the end of the long clinic day, I told Arun how his asking me to look at his patient and my inability to contribute anything helpful had resulted in my earning the esteem of my patient and her husband.