Physicians are privileged to see patients at their most vulnerable, to reshape lives and continually revitalize the nation’s health system. In a challenging practice environment, physicians remain driven by the power of healing and the indelible connections they form with patients and families.
The AMA Wire® “When I Knew Medicine Was My Calling” series profiles a wide variety of doctors, offering a glimpse into the lives of the busy women and men navigating new courses in their careers and in American medicine. No matter their age, their specialty or their career stage, they were born to do this and they tell us why.
Share a moment with: Carl G. Streed Jr., MD, fellow in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and immediate-past chair of the AMA Advisory Committee on LGBTQ Issues.
I was born to: Care.
The moment I knew medicine was my calling: It's sometimes difficult to pinpoint a single moment rather than a series of moments. Many moments that do stand out involve my time volunteering at the Broadway Youth Center, an STI clinic for homeless youth in Chicago. I felt I was able to combine my love of the sciences while being helpful to those in need.
An experience from residency that confirmed my calling as a physician: All of it. There wasn't a moment in residency that didn't either confirm or reinforce my choice to pursue a career in medicine.
An experience from medical school that kept me going: My fellow classmates were often what carried me through the difficult times of medical school and training. Working together with my classmates to implement HIV testing with our emergency department was one moment that highlighted how critical teamwork is and how exciting it can be to find opportunities to improve care and population health.
My source of inspiration: My partner, Chad. He keeps me going while helping me to not get burned out.
My hope for the future of medicine: A unified system that provides care for all, as health and health care are human rights.
The hardest moment in medicine and how I got past it: There are frustrations in working within our current system that limits resources based on an individual's ability to pay. I get past these frustrations by working with organizations looking to change the system, like our AMA.
My favorite experience working with the medical team: I depend so much on my colleagues to ensure complete and safe discharges from hospitals or smooth transitions between care providers (e.g., in my primary care clinic). We bond over some of our more complex patients, share family stories with patients and exchange cat photos. We are close to family.
The most challenging aspects of caring for patients: When patients do not have access to simple but critical needs (e.g., food, housing, income), prescribing a statin is often not the priority. Finding these resources within our system is a constant struggle.
The most rewarding aspect of caring for patients: Seeing them each visit in clinic and ensuring they have more time with their loved ones.
The skills every physician should have but won’t be tested for on the board exam: Getting a patient to laugh or smile.
One question students should ask themselves before pursuing medicine: Do I enjoy delayed gratification?
A quick insight I would give students who are considering medicine: Imagine the most mundane, dull, bread-and-butter day in your desired specialty/practice; does that still excite you? If so, then you made the right choice.
Song to describe my life in medicine: "Get Outta My Way," by Kylie Minogue.
