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Stop the shaming: “We ​should refrain ourselves from doing intra-shaming: medical student shaming, intern shaming, and physician shaming. We try to build this competitive culture (which is very good to keeping the standard of medicine), but at the same time are we pushing the limits too far?”

Introduction

This episode will be sure to inspire your sense of creativity, joy, and motivation for change.
​Waqas Khan, also known as “Dr. I Am Sorry”, is an internal medicine physician . Waqas is also the writer, creator and producer of the satirical, comical and educational web series “Healthcare NOT Fair”.  His web series provides a deep insight into the main issues prevailing in American Healthcare by reenacting them in a satirical and comical way. Through his web series, he has tapped into sensitive and poignant topics like Physician/Nurse burn out, Physician suicide, End of Life, Medical Malpractice Lawsuits, Health Insurance, Hospital Management, Drug abuse and Patient compliance and responsibility. His main gaol and objective is to educate the  general public, especially the upcoming medical students about American healthcare while providing them entertainment at the same time.

Sample of the conversation

The tragedy that started the journey:

It’s a tragic story, my mom passed away from breast cancer. I couldn’t find anything to channel my frustration, anger, and depression. When I finally accepted the reality I thought: “Why not do something to contribute into the field that could have saved my mother’s life”.

Waqas’ web-series “Healthcare Not Fair”:

My web-series’ name is “Healthcare Not Fair”. I am the creator, producer, and director. I received help from some professionals to make it happen. This is a way for me to communicate to more people and a much bigger audience rather than writing a book or writing articles. So I created a comical, satirical, and informational web-series called Healthcare Not Fair. I play Dr. I am Sorry, a physician who is really apologetic to his patients. He is apologetic to his patients for what healthcare has turned into, it was supposed to be a profession, but now it has turned into a business, really affecting the patients, the physicians, and the families. I am trying to bring out both the positive and the negative, so you can see the light-side and the dark side to medicine through the web-series.

Waqas on happiness

Satisfaction ​and fulfillment from your job, it’s absolutely not the financial gains. A lot of people think it’s from the hundreds of thousands of dollars physicians make a year, believe me this is not what brings you happiness, Maybe initially, but this isn’t what really gives you fulfillment and happiness. What really brings you fulfillment and happiness is actually helping the patient and their family members. Also trying to fix the broken healthcare system that we have. Happiness and fulfillment is derived by helping a patient and seeing a smile on their face.

How do you balance the job of medicine with the “art of medicine”

This is a very good point. Being a physician is totally separate from struggling through the system and talking to the insurance company, hospital administration, and fear of lawsuits. As a hospitalist, I must be my patient’s advocate. If my patient needs to stay in the hospital, but on the other hand the insurance, or hospital administration is trying to push you to discharge the patient, you really need to stand your ground at that time. You do the best for the patient at that time. In that case-scenario, which happens quite often, there is a very thin line between what is right and what is wrong. You have to be your patient’s advocate.

For more of the conversation, listen to the audio!

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Check out Waqas’ content:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/healthcarenotfair
Twitter: https://twitter.com/driamsorry1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthcarenotfair/
Website: www.healthcarenotfair.com

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