Dooley Noted: 5/1/2016
I spend a minimum of 35 weekends each year teaching.
I also teach anatomy and treat patients year-round.
This exposes me to thousands of new people each year, with a potential impact on many others.
I also provide an informative blog and videos from which others can learn.
Because of my generous nature, many feel safe to cross the line.
They will send me a page-long review of their patient or client findings, all on a person I’ve never met.
While I have accepted a job of service, I have a system of ethics to which I abide.
And I know other professionals took the same oath of ethical behavior as I took, when they accepted their licenses.
So, if you need help with your patients and clients, stay professional with these tips:
1. Join discussion groups, where you can field basic questions to colleagues.
2. Join technique forums, where you can ask your colleagues about specific technique interventions.
3. Pay a colleague a consultation fee to help you with cases. This way, they can be paid for the time they spend reviewing files, history, imaging, or any other background information before fielding your questions.
4. Don’t forget to think things through for yourself, before jumping too quickly for interventions by colleagues. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you, but you’ve been looking with a microscope when you needed a bird’s eye view.
Colleagues are widely available to help you.
I am one of them.
If I share a technique with you and you want my weigh-in, you already know I am there for you in a heartbeat with my two-cents.
And if you’ve hired me for consultation, you already know how thorough I am and how much I offer you for your expense.
But if you’ve sent me a message saying, “Hello, here’s my patient’s findings…,” then you already know the message I give you back.
“I’ve never met your patient.”
And remember: ask your colleagues for help before you throw all the findings their way.
Perhaps consider they are quite busy, and you may want to offer them a consultation fee for complex or detailed cases or questions.
It’s professional, considerate, and ultimately will build a collegial, trusting relationship.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley
