Dr. A Show 162: Dr. Daniel Lewis

Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 9pm ET (0100 UTC)

I invite you to join me tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 162 when our guest will be Family Physician Dr. Daniel Lewis. I have known Danny for a long time back to our medical school and residency days. Yes, time does fly when you're having fun. I didn't realize this until recently, but he has been a long time reader of the blog and along time listener to the show. How cool is that?

Danny and some of his colleagues recently took a trip to Central America to take part in a missionary trip. International medicine is a topic that I've always been curious about. I first learned about his trip on his facebook page, and I told myself that when he got back that I would ask him to be on the show. Lucky for me, he graciously accepted my invitation.

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Vlogs: Me & T-Rave in KC

In case you didn't know, the term "Vlog" stands for video blog. And, I finally posted my video blog from last weekend's adventure with T-Rave to the Apple Store in Kansas City )pictured above) where - yes, I did purchase an iPad. In addition to my video, I have also posted T-Rave's video which includes a little snippet when I was hanging out with them that night. Super cool people and I wish I lived closer to that I could hang out with them more often. Enjoy the vids!

Continuing Education

Yes, I'm still here in Kansas City. Why? Well, I'm here to educate myself. This is part of the continuing process to maintain board certification. In addition to taking a board exam every certain number of years, there are certain educational modules that have to be taken in a disease area - like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

Meetings like this are interesting as well, because they kind of have their own community. At the beginning of every meeting like this, the presenter asks the audience how many times people have re-certified in Family Medicine - meaning how many times have you taken the board exam through the years.

And, mind you, our board certification is good for seven years. There are always one or two people in the audience who say, "Yup, this will be the sixth (or seventh) time I'm taking the boards." You can do the math on that one, and those people enjoy their moment of fame at the beginning of the meeting....

Plus, since doctors are so busy trying to see patients these days, there are some people who make an educational meeting like this - they make it a kind of reunion. "Hey, whatcha been doing since I saw you last year? Oh yeah, got a another grandchild do ya?" So, in many aspects, the advocacy meeting I was at last week and the educational meeting I've been at this week- there are some similarities. Or, just some quirky observations on my part.

For me, yesterday and today has helped me re-focus on some clinical topics. There are always some quick and practical tips that I pick up from the lecturer- and from the participants - when it comes to taking care of patients. And, also some tips about my business, and about life. Social media is great, but there is something about meeting and talking with people in person that makes it very special. I finally outta here later today. It'll be nice to be home....

Me And My iPad

Feel free not to read this post. I'm writing this just as justification for myself about purchasing an iPad - Hehe. Well, during my conference last week, I got into a conversation with my good friends Jen and Kim - acknowledged tech geeks (and I mean that with love). We discussed coming out to the Apple store two days ago when the 3G version went on sale.

It would've been a great field trip! I think that there were about 1-2 other people who were thinking about it. Well, that night when the moment came to decide to go to the Apple story, I was a party pooper and decided not to go. And, apparently, no one else in the group (that I know of) went either.

So, today comes and I knew that I was meeting up with video blogger and internet celebrity T-Rave. He lives here in the Kansas City area. So, after some lunch, we decided to hit the Apple store (I have some great video of this, but probably won't be able to upload until getting home because of a too slow internet connection to upload video)

I admit that this was the third time that I touched an iPad. The other two times were at my local Best Buy at home. (The funny thing is that when I decided to purchase an iPad at home - the Best Buy was sold out). So, I'm pacing and thinking and wondering - Should I or shouldn't I?

Always when I have a tough decision like this, I go to the place where I will always get the right answer. Yes, that's right I went to the online magic 8 ball site - right there logging onto an iMac computer. I typed in the question, "Should I purchase an iPad today?" I clicked on "submit question." The answer came back, "Absolutely!"

Now, I have been going back and forth on which to purchase - the wifi version or the 3G version. Since I recently purchased a Verizon MiFi 3G internet modem, I didn't need the iPad 3G version. I can use the wifi signal from the Mifi. (And I have to tell you, the connection has been pretty good) I purchased the iPad Wifi 64GB version.

The purchase process was interesting. I was able to activate the iPad right there in the store. The Apple Genius we were working with was very cool. He saw the video cameras that me and T-Rave were using and he asked about our websites. He told us about his website which is called Urban Synthesis Radio. I encourage you to check it out!

So, that's my iPad purchase story. I'm working with my IT guy at my local hospital to see how I can get access to hospital records using this device. I'm also trying to think about other work functions that I can use iPad for - in addition to all the fun things!

What Is A Family Medicine Leader?

What is a Leader? What is a Family Medicine Leader? Giving a clear and concise answer to these questions have been a challenge for me as I have taken on different leadership tasks and positions.

I can’t believe that it was 10 years ago when I gave my first speech in seeking national office for my professional organization. I was in the final year of my residency, and my colleagues had to convince me to “just give it a go.”

I had done a bunch of stuff on the state level. But, I didn’t feel my game was ready for “prime time” – meaning being on a national stage. I remember that speech like it was yesterday. My heart still pounds and my hands still get sweaty thinking about it. At the time, it was the most stressful couple of minutes of my life.

I thought it was quite an accomplishment just to get through that speech. When I learned later that I was in fact elected, I knew that moment changed my leadership life forever. I was able to overcome the fears of failure and embarrassment to have that turning point open the door for many leadership positions which unfolded over the past decade.

Probably the highlight of this recent course was being the 2007 chair of the meeting that was just completed here in Kansas City – the AAFP National Conference of Special Constituencies (NCSC - Search for the #aafpncsc tag on twitter). At the time, the meeting was only in its 17th edition – so having the title "Chair" of the meeting was definitely an exclusive club.

This year’s NCSC was a different experience for me in that I was “just” a participant and not involved at all in the planning or on the leadership team – a kind of outsider looking in. I even tried to run for another national office, but this time I was unsuccessful. For the next few hours, I kept asking myself, "Was I A Failure?"

Something very interesting happened after that. More than a few people came up to me and said, “I’m sorry you lost your election, but since you’ve had a lot of experience at this meeting, I need some advice on an issue.”

It was at that moment when a light bulb went off in my head. Leadership is about making a positive connection with a person AND empowering the person to help them reach their leadership potential. This is what drives me to do what I do, as opposed to obtaining more leadership titles and winning elections.

So, as I put this meeting behind me, I know that the work that I did will not be posted to any kind of website (except mine, of course). But, I do have a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment knowing that I made a difference. And, that's all I need....

For my Family Medicine friends who read this post, I encourage you to share your answer to the question - "What Is A Family Medicine Leader?" It is through sharing our experiences where we can be better advocates for our specialty and for our patients.

Friday at #aafpncsc

Wrapping up day 2 here in Kansas City at the National Conference of Special Constituencies by the American Academy of Family Physicians. As I type this, this is the end of the day where I am listening to a bunch of inspiring stories and speeches and people are putting themselves forward for election to the AAFP national meeting.

I took place in an initial stage of the election process this morning. Unfortunately, I did not succeed to this final round of ballotting, but it was such a great time just going through the process and pushing myself personally and professionally to try again to serve my specialty.

In addition to elections and talking about policies, I attended a few educational sessions. My favorite one was about Media Training For Physicians. I definitely learned a lot during that session - some of which I'll start applying to some of the media work in the future.

Tomorrow is the last day of the meeting. It's been a great experience talking with colleagues from around the country on a variety of issues for our patients. I apologize for not doing so much video from here, but my schedule was so busy. I'll have to make more to say about the meeting when I've had a chance to process everything that happened here. Have a great weekend everybody!

Thursday at #aafpncsc

So, officially, this is the first day of the meeting. But, unofficially, things got kicked off last night in talking with long time friends and sharing stories. I have been to many, many AAFP meetings through the years and the friendships that I have gained have been so valuable - both professionally and personally.

It's really hard to believe that it was about 10 years ago when I really started becoming very active with AAFP leadership activities - like being on AAFP committees, like running for AAFP leadership positions. How time really flies.

This specific meeting has always been exciting and inspiring for me because of the content and because of the networking opportunities. The usual first activity is the first-time orientation, which is always entertaining - especially this early in the morning. To be perky and excited first off is really a challenge - I should know - because I helped with the session on more than one occasion.

As the morning gets started here, I'll definitely be updating on my twitter account - so check that out if you like (i'll be using the #aafpncsc tag during the meeting). And, I might even update this post during the day as well. I'm still working on that video feed. Hopefully, I'll be able to broadcast something today. Otherwise, have a great day everybody!

Live from #aafpncsc

So, I'm going to try something that has never been tried before (that I'm aware of) at the National Conference of Special Constituencies meeting in Kansas City by the American Academy of Family Physicians. At times during the meeting, I'm going to go live with a video feed to update all of you what is going on.

The main limiting thing will be the bandwidth issue. And, I have to caution you right now that the laptop camera & mic (maybe even trying out from the iPhone) I'll be using won't be that high quality. But, it's better than nothing. (BTW, if you're talking about the meeting, don't forget to use the #aafpncsc tag in your twitter updates)

When will I go live? Well, the best way to know is to subscribe to my twitter feed as I will "tweet out" when I will go live with the video stream. To assist you to in making snarky comments, I've also placed a chat box. But, you need to register with the Ustream.TV site before you can chat. Sorry about that. Hope this sucker works!

Update: I tried to go live when I was at the airport and that was a big fail. I then tried at the hotel lobby and there seemed to be a problem there. I'm gonna keep trying, but it doesn't look good. Oh well....

Dr. A Show 156 Wrap-up: Dr. Gerry Tolbert

Thanks so much to Dr. Gerry Tolbert who is a Family Medicine Resident Physician - for being on Doctor Anonymous Show 156. We had a great conversation about his experiences as a medical student and now as a resident. The video clip above is particularly interesting in that we have a real conversation about our frustrations with organized medicine these days.

If you enjoyed the video clip above, I invite you to download the entire audio podcast by clicking here. Don't forget to check out the Facebook page for the show and hit the big "Like" button. You can also subscribe to the show and download any Dr. A Show by going to the show's iTunes page. Thanks for your continued support of the show!

National Conference of Special Constituencies

So, I'm going to this meeting tomorrow put on by my professional organization called the American Academy of Family Physicians. Since I was Chief of Staff for my community hospital for the past two years, I haven't been able to attend. This is going to be a great opportunity to connect back with long time friends - some of whom I haven't seen in three years.

This is basically an advocacy meeting and policy meeting. It's no secret that many Family Docs out there (like me) who are not very happy with organized medicine these days - especially with their stance on Health Care Reform. But, instead of writing off all of organized medicine (at this point). I'm willing to listen to the leadership to see what they have to say on important health care topics like HCR.

The really fun part of the meeting is meeting new people - especially family docs who have similar points of view. It's a chance to come together from different parts of the country to share what were doing in our communities and see how we can learn from one another. Too often, we're so isolated in our little "silos" and so focused on work, that there is little opportunity to network with colleagues.

For those of you who follow this blog, or who follow me on social media, you're in for a treat. I'm going to try to bring you inside the NCSC meeting through the magic of social media. I do have some plans that I don't know if I can make happen, but stay tuned here and see if I succeed - or if I fail....