Today's doctors are many things, but teaching or teacher aren't words generally associated with them (except perhaps in academic medicine). The word "doctor" invokes a particular set of images in popular culture - white coat, scrubs, stethoscopes, always doing something - but the word may not so often invoke the more unglamorous image of patient education. It's my belief that every med student and resident chooses to become their own unique "kind" of doctor, their own way of interpreting the art and the science. Thus it's my belief, and my choice, that doctors should be teachers.

During my one-year foray into public health, one of the greatest experiences of my life was teaching several discussion sections of the undergrad intro to genetics course, alongside other grad student instructors (GSIs, also called teacher's assistants or TAs elsewhere) and the professors of the course. Standing by the blackboard in front of a room of 20-30 undergrad students kept me on my toes (figuratively and literally) and oddly energized. Here I was, imparting knowledge onto students, clarifying concepts and facts, elucidating materials from lecture more in depth, intently watching for the wheels in their minds to turn. Everything I said mattered, mistakes and incorrect knowledge could backlash with great fury, so I had to be sure and confident of what I said. At the end of the day, I hoped that I had sparked that interest in someone to take the knowledge they learned from me and do something great with it.

In my opinion, medicine (particularly primary care) isn't so different. Doctors impart health knowledge onto patients, clarify misconceptions on health issues, answer questions, recommend medication and treatment plans, and hope the patients comply and carry through because they understand and trust their doctors. At the end of a visit, I would hope a patient would take the knowledge he/she learned and do something great with it - keep themselves healthy, improve their health, or even educate others. I feel many students go into medicine because it's a decisive field - you're sure (or at least act sure) of the medicine or treatment you give your patients. Truth be told, you'll never know if your patients actually take their medication or follow through with your recommendations after they leave your sight. And so proper education, communication, and trust are vital.

Already I've had a couple experiences in med school that can attest to the role of doctors as teachers. About a month ago I went to a nearby high school with another M1 med student. We were to give a presentation on obesity and diabetes to a 10th grade health class. My love of teaching instantly rushed back. At the end of the presentation there was still 5-7 minutes left before the end of the class, so we opened it up for the students to ask us any question. One student asked me, "What do you want to do after med school?" Which I initially thought was an odd question, so I answered, "Umm . . . become a doctor." He continued with something like, "Do you want to keep doing stuff like this? Coming into classrooms and teaching about health?"

That struck me. Of course I would love to go to a high school a few times a year into a health class and give a talk on some health topic. I would love that kind of community interaction as a practicing physician. I then realized how uncommon it must be for doctors to take a day or half-day off work and go into the community and do just what I did as a med student. I couldn't recall in all my years of primary education of seeing a doctor come in and give us students a health presentation. There's definitely a role, and sometimes perhaps a need, for doctors to go into the community, talk to a group of people, and educate them on some common health issue. This is certainly one role of doctors within public health.

This isn't to discount the important and integral role of the one-on-one patient-physician relationship. A couple weeks ago while volunteering as a "patient educator" at a free clinic, I saw a late middle-aged gentleman who wanted to discuss smoking cessation and depression. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to interact with patients outside of the rigid "medical interview, physical exam, diagnosis, and treatment" template. We talked rather freely as I asked him questions about what he's done, his personal and social environment, and how we can "tailor" a way to help him with these two issues that works with his life situation rather than against. I felt that to a certain degree, a more relaxed medium of communication between physicians and patients may yield better adherence to medical/health advice, as opposed to a more didactic approach commonly found in medicine. Then again, I've certainly no research to support this.

Lastly, a doctor is a life-long student and teacher. The field of medicine changes so rapidly it's mind-spinning. It can take a lot of work just to keep up and learn the newest updates, and at the same time relay this information to colleagues and patients. But it's a challenge we signed up for the moment we set foot in med school. As future doctors, I believe it's our duty to educate our patients so they may make the best and healthiest decisions for themselves.

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