The heaviest false perception we can harbor, the one that will kill the joy of practicing medicine and of life in general, is that “everything depends on me.” We acquire this perception in childhood or adolescence and carry it into our work and family lives. With regard to a patient’s outcome, we fail to factor in the influence of the patient, their circumstances, and God in determining what happens. If everything depends on us, we have to know everything and do everything right, with no mistakes. This perception is paralyzing or at least keeps us living in fear. We are not the savior of anyone nor are the the sole determinant of a patient’s physical outcome. We do what we can to help patients but also voice the expectation that they must also help themselves in certain ways to get better. The doctor-patient relationship is a partnership, not a parent-child or boss-subordinate relationship. As I pray on my way to work each morning, I want to be an instrument of healing and to enjoy every patient encounter without the burden of falsely thinking I am fully responsible for the outcome. We are responsible to practice medicine to the best of our ability, but a multitude of variables are not under our control.
Physician, Get Healed 