10 Things I Learned in Family Med

1. Everyone is doing the best they can with what they have (even if sometimes what they have is a history of an alcoholic mother and bad coping mechanisms)

that one needs a pause for emphasis. okay, next:

2. Trust but verify. (Ronald Regan, about the Soviet Union)

3. Manage the unavoidable and avoid (or prevent) the unmanageable (-Friedman, about climate science)

4. Try not to work too much harder than your patients are working for themselves.

5. Results can be good or bad news, so deliver all results neutrally until you know how people feel

6. Just because it's common practice doesn't mean it's evidence based or good medicine

7. Over 1 in every 4 women will experience intimate partner violence in her life, the risk increases dramatically when a woman is pregnant - try to ask all women in a confidential way

8. For a differential, think about the three things it's most likely to be and the 3 things it could be that you would never want to miss - and make sure you cover them ALL with your workup.

9. The sick baby test.

10. Say hello to everyone on the staff and in the patient room every time - it's the surest way to feel like you belong and make everyone a part of the patient's health care.