My New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! I hope you have started your year off prosperously and erased all the bad memories of 2010. 2011 is upon us and it is that time of year again – to create the dreaded “New Year’s Resolutions”. I try to create three every year and I thought I’d share them with you.

My first resolution deals with my patient interactions. I’m blessed to see quite a few patients whose first language is not English. I remember when my grandfather was admitted for lung cancer and the frustration he felt that he could not communicate his thoughts and concerns to his health care providers. My plan is to learn 3-4 different phrases in my patients’ native languages to see how they are doing on a day-to-day basis. Even if I can’t completely understand their thoughts, before getting a translator, it’s the thought that someone cares that would have meant so much to a patient like my grandfather.

So far, I’ve been able to learn phrases in Arabic, French, Chinese, and Spanish. Tal vez usted puede tratar?

My second resolution is attempting to stay more on top of the politics of health care. It was a hot topic in 2010 and with the new Republican strength in Congress and the Tea Party Movement, I have a feeling that the debate will rage on. Being an intern has hindered my ability to keep up with the details of the reform bill. I do know, however, that the baby boomer generation is getting ready to hit the age of Medicare eligibility in 2011 and, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation from 2010 to 2030, the Medicare enrollment will double from 40 million to 80 million people. That seems like an astounding number and payments will be unsustainable in the current system.

My third resolution deals with getting to the gym more! I’m sure half of Americans have this one their list. With the obesity rate hovering around 35%, according to the CDC, exercise and diet seem to be on everyone’s mind. Everyone is busy. And after working a 24-hour call shift, I will be the first to admit that I have a legitimate excuse, but I’m making my readers a promise. I’ll report back to you my total percent weight lost in 6 months. Hold me accountable and I’ll do the same. We have some great fitness programs at Cleveland Clinic one of which is called “Shape Up & Go.” It helps participants lose weight and keep track of their goals. Look into your work environment and see if there’s way to encourage others to join you in your efforts.

So there are my three resolutions. Besides trying to be a great intern, I hope to accomplish these three goals in the year. If you have any resolutions you’d like to share, I would love to hear them.