Altruism or All in a Day’s Work?
I have been a PA for 40 years. Obviously, I was early to the profession. I don’t think altruism is part of the deal. None of my colleagues in the 70s seemed particularly altruistic. Basically, being a PA is what I can do … well. I am not Mother Teresa, nor are any of the clinicians I work with. I have served the population I’ve encountered well.
I think altruism is a romantic myth. Medicine of any sort has multiple satisfactions: emotional, social, and intellectual. These are why we play. Patients should benefit any time clinicians do what they do, because they love their job. Mentors should mentor for the same reason.
Robert Hamel, PA-C
Ann Arbor, MI
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