How often do you have the feeling that you don’t matter – that you are a cog in the medical machine? I believe that this is a much too common sensation in today’s world and is only becoming more prevalent. So why do we feel this disconnection in a time of abundant connectivity? This sense of isolation among a crowd?
Many psychologists and social scientists now see such isolation as related to superficial relationships and a true loss of what provides the individual person a sense of place and purpose.1,2
Some physician anesthesiologists are seeing rapid changes in their medical practice. We see how medical care is delivered and how medical personnel are valued. We see continued changes in scope-of-practice expansion. We hear the frustrations of physician anesthesiologists confronted with a feeling of being replaced with a “lesser trained” individual. One might ask, “Am I not valued?...
