When I was a kid, I remember visiting the man in the white coat (well, because the family Doctor was usually a man and he tended to wear a white coat, that is just how I thought of him – ‘the man in the white coat’).
My appointments were usually just before summer camp. Dr S and I would sit down and he’d ask things like what year I was in at school, if I played any sports, did I have any pets etc and then jab my arm with a vaccination or two. My brothers would have their appointments next and the same would happen to them. A chat, followed by a couple of jabs in the arm and off we went!
Dr. S knew my family, not just my immediate family but my extended family also. Which means he had seen many of us grow up and have our own children, was aware of our history of heart disease and felt like someone we could connect and catch up with at each visit.
I miss those days….
the days when your Doctor was also your family Doctor. You had a sense that he ‘knew’ you, that he cared about your health and would take the time to get to know you at each visit.
But a few things happened as I grew older – Doctors became busier with more clients, higher expectations were placed upon them and insurance premiums became more expensive. Today, I’m hearing that if you get 10 minutes with your GP then you are lucky and the waiting room of Doctors surgeries are like waiting your turn at the check out in supermarkets!
Last week, a client phoned to tell me that she had to go in for some surgery she’d been hoping to avoid. We spoke for 20 minutes about the best way to prepare for her hospital stay.
Whilst chatting, it dawned on me – I’d been working with her husband recently too, tweaking his diet to increase his energy. I also worked with their daughter a couple of months before, who had spent years dieting and now, with more self-love and nourishing foods, she feels fabulous in her bikini. Also, their vegetarian son had been my client previously too, educating him on proteins and fats to ensure he remains a healthy veggie.
Perhaps the health coach has become the new ‘man in the white coat’?
We won’t prescribe patients with medicine or jabs to the arm, but we’re there to support and get to know you and your family. Something that seems to be missing from the Doctor-Patient relationship today. Health Coaches are becoming the missing piece to the health puzzle.
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