Medicine as Noble Work

Carla Rotering, MD, Vice President of Physician Services for Language of Caring® and Medical Director of Respiratory and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at two Arizona medical centers

The profession of Medicine is intrinsically noble, yet the current challenges in healthcare can separate physicians from the original principles we held at the time we first took our Oath. We have become less connected to our purpose, we work at a frenzied pace, we face endless frustrations, and we surrender more and more autonomy. As a result, we not only experience less personal satisfaction and professional pride, but there is also evidence that medical errors are increased, we spend less time talking with patients, and we are less empathic. More diagnostic errors occur, costs increase, care suffers, and there are more ethical violations identified. In this presentation physicians will learn how to re-ignite their passion for their profession and for one another. Highlights of this presentation will include: the relevant principles of a contemporary Hippocratic Oath; the power of mindful practice; the value of committing to “one thing” and the re-discovery of our noble purpose as physicians