Saturday, July 25, 2015

I Work for VA

I've received a lot of weird looks when I've uttered that sentence the past month or so. Colleagues look at me as if I've lost my mind. I've had a few ask me,"Is that a good thing?" Several people outright asked me if I was nuts when I informed them that I was transitioning to VA a few months ago.

I was inundated with horror stories about being treated poorly and delivering substandard care. I was told that no doctor works for VA unless you can't get a job anywhere else. In short, I was told that I was committing career suicide.

Let's be clear. There surely have been some unfortunate things that have happened at VA. No one is trying to hide from the hard work that must be done to give Veterans the care they deserve. That wasn't a mystery when I decided to work for VA, and it isn't a mystery now.

Now, allow me to be equally clear when I say that I have never been more proud to walk into work every day than I am now. Every day, my team and I get the opportunity to care for heroes. We hear stories from the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan. We give back to those that have given so much.

I say my team and I for a reason. Delivering health care at VA is unlike anywhere else. While many health systems are still exploring the concept of team based care, the VA has already embraced it. As the physician, I am the leader of the team, not the entire team.

Instead of asking for my patient to get a colonoscopy and praying that it actually happens, my nurse follows that consult all the through to the end, making sure the procedure gets done. When my patient's blood pressure  is out of control, a telehealth nurse will call that patient regularly and track their blood pressure from home. Abnormalities are communicated back to me, and we can make adjustments, while the patient never has to set foot in the clinic.

So, I want to set the record straight. There is good work being done at VA. There is constant improvement happening. Our leader, Secretary McDonald, has brought with him a culture of service, and as one of the many new faces around VA during the past year, we are daily going about the task of bring world class health care to our Veterans. If you are a veteran, I invite you to stop by your local VA clinic to learn about how we can help you. If you are a health care provider, then join us. We don't just care for patients, we care for heroes

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