You might be wondering why I left 'regular' practice to pursue a career as a Private Medical Consultant. Several circumstances converged to lead me down this exciting and satisfying path and I would like to share them with you.

Despite the many joys of medical practice, the standard model of seeing a patient every 15 minutes left me feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. I often felt that my patients wanted more from me than I was providing, and I wished that I could give it to them -- more time, more guidance, more personalized attention. Even when I stretched my office visits to 20 or even 30 minutes, I found that some people still didn't get from me all that they needed. Perhaps they had hoped to discuss the pile of internet printouts in their bag. Perhaps they were deciding between two risky procedures and wanted to discuss their options at length. Or maybe they just wanted a knowledgeable and supportive guide by their side as they confronted the physical and emotional challenges of illness. I did the best that I could given the practical constraints of medical practice but I always knew that, given the right circumstances, I could do better.

As I was trying to reconcile my view of myself as a healer with the realities of medical practice, I was confronted by two challenges of my own. One of my daughters developed significant health problems and my closest childhood friend got breast cancer. As I advocated for my daughter and my friend, I was tremendously grateful for my medical experience and expertise. I searched the medical literature, consulted with my colleagues, and spoke up when I wasn't satisfied with the treatment plan. I found it frightening to consider how different their treatment might have been had I not been a physician. I wondered how people manage to navigate the complexities of illness and medical care without a physician friend or relative to watch out for them.

Despite the angst involved in helping my loved ones through their illnesses, I found that I actually enjoyed the process. I loved scouring the medical literature for the newest advances and using this knowledge to help facilitate good medical decisions. I loved having the time to talk for as long as my 'patient' needed me without worrying that other patients were being kept waiting. I began to see a sharp difference between the level of care that I offered to my loved ones and that available to my patients; it just didn't seem right.

It got me thinking.

I knew that without the constraints of insurance company rules and hospital productivity pressures, I could provide the true healing care that my patients needed.  Now my patients can decide how much time they want to spend with me rather than being shuffled out because their time is up.  They become empowered patients and are better able to tackle complex medical decisions. I now have the time to address not only the physical dimensions of an illness, but the emotional, practical, and even spiritual ones, and my patients feel heard.

I am finally free to be the healer that I imagined as a young and idealistic medical student. What a lucky person I am.

A Message from Dr.Chiaramonte | Curriculum Vitae