My Secret Addiction

By an Anonymous Emergency Physician Hi. I’m Anon. I’m a 44 year old emergency physician. And I’m an addict. My addiction came to light when my Press Ganey scores plummeted after I started to stand up to the chronic pain and frequent ER patients. The fact that I have an addiction was reaffirmed when I went to my state’s Prescription Drug Abuse Summit. When I saw so many professionals from varying fields (medicine, law enforcement, pharmacy, education, etc…) assembled, I realized my problem: I’m addicted to prescribing pain medications. As with any addiction, the first step in treatment requires acknowledgement of the problem. I thought back to how my addiction began. Coming out of medical school, there is a certain power that comes on the first day of residency. You suddenly have the power of the pen. You can write prescriptions for low blood pressure, high blood pressure, low blood sugar, high blood sugar, too many bowel movements, not enough bowel movements.  The list goes on and on. But one of the largest ways in which we can help patients is by treating their pain. Controlled substances. Yes, the new physician quickly learns that the pen wields an awesome power and an awesome responsibility. This feeling fades quickly in the face of an 80+ hour work week. Fast forward 5-10 years. You are seeing 10-12 patients at the same time, all the chest trauma goes across town, and you have a waiting room that is 20 patients deep, and you already kn...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Tags: Guest Posts Source Type: blogs