Reprinted from the winter issue of The Ohio Family Physician
By: Matthew J. Farrell, MD, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
I was a sickly kid. Luckily, I had a wonderful family physician, Paul Dusseau, MD, taking care of me. He saw me and my siblings so often for strep throat that when we would come in with another case he would say, “Another case of FST (Farrell Sore Throat).” Dr. Dusseau took care of me from before I was born until he retired. Having also taken care of my grandfather, my parents, and my children, Dr. Dusseau liked to brag that he had been the family physician for four generations of Farrell’s.
With Dr. Dusseau as a role model, I decided to go to medical school. I was already thinking that primary care, if not family medicine, would be my specialty of choice. I attempted to keep an open mind and, during my third year of medical school, I wanted to try on all the different specialties for size to see if they would be a good fit. My first clinical rotation was surgery. While minor procedures were appealing, I personally did not like my time in the operating room. Family medicine was next and I had another great role model to work with, Michael Johnson, MD. As my third year progressed, I rotated through all the core specialties and I came out the other end still wanting to pursue primary care. I did have interest in some of the internal medicine subspecialties, like gastroenterology or endocrinology, so I scheduled the beginning of my fourth year of medical school to test whether internal medicine or family medicine was the right choice.
Those rotations proved that I was more interested in outpatient rather than inpatient care. While I did interview at internal medicine residencies, by the time I submitted my rank list for the Match, I had chosen family medicine. I matched at my top choice residency program. While residency was challenging at times, I knew that I had chosen the right specialty and the right program for me.
I love taking care of the whole family. Grandparents, children, and grandchildren of the same families all come to see me. While I have not yet qualified as a “four generation” family physician, knowing these family connections makes me a better physician. I still do minor procedures in the office. I spend all my clinical time in my outpatient office. My favorite part of medicine is preventive care. I love discussing screening labs, cancer screenings, and immunizations with my patients. I enjoy seeing patients for an annual wellness appointment. I like knowing that patients have a “medical home” at my office, and that if someone asks one of my patients who their physician in, they can say, “Dr. Farrell, of course.”
Certainly, family medicine is not for everyone. We, in family medicine, need the best and the brightest. We must be familiar with a wide range of clinical subjects and we have to get to know a large number of patients that will by with us for many years. We need to have patience to listen and courage to stand up for our patients when called. If there are and medical students reading this, I invite you to ask yourself, do you have what it takes to be a family physician? If the answer to that question is yes, then ask yourself, do you have what it takes to be a “four generation” family physician?
Paul Dusseau took care of my mother and father. He was a real gentleman – anyone who could handle my mom – had to be. And he was a great family physician. I always appreciated his care of my parents !