Dr. Patient

Sometimes you never know where your patients may be coming from.

I saw H last week for the first time; he was a 50+ year old Middle Eastern man with type 2 diabetes. He worked as a pharmacy technician, so I wasn't surprised when we used some medical terminology at our meeting.

But I was impressed by his level of knowledge of pancreatic physiology, and prodded him a bit further. Turns out he was a cardiothoracic surgeon in his home country. But because his credentials were not recognized here, he needed to go back to medical school and residency before he could practice as a surgeon. At this age, he didn't think he had the stamina to do so, and so humbly worked in the pharmacy dispensing meds instead.

Reminds me of a cab driver I met while in medical school in Canada; he practiced as a neurosurgeon in Russia before his emigration.

And though he missed practicing surgery, he was happier with his new life there.

But it did get me thinking that it was a shame, not being able to use their talents just because of some bureaucratic red tape.