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With all the stories on some threads about how most people wouldn't have gone into medicine if they could go back - Here is a story about a D.O. who says he would - and the media not using ' D.O. ' in a bad way -
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/disp_story.php?storyId=15242
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/disp_story.php?storyId=15242
James Clark, who is a doctor of
osteopathy, has practiced medicine in the United States and in other countries.
Ingrid Rachinski
Daily Evergreen staff
Dr. James Clark is not a small man in stature or personality.
He is a man who is confident of his abilities and open with his weaknesses and the things that scare him as a doctor.
One incident in the pediatric emergency room in Detroit, a patient came in asking for a Jack Kevorkian and pointed a gun at me, Clark said. The scary things are the things out of control.
Clarks strengths outweigh his
weaknesses, said Summer Sweet, a WSU graduate who went through the pre-med program and now works with Clark in the emergency room at Pullman Regional Hospital.
He has fun and thats what I like about him, and in his heart he wants to help, she said.
Sweet has also gone with Clark on two different medical trips to South Africa and Ecuador.
I think hes a good guy, hes good at heart, Sweet said. I know he enjoys his patients, he has a very calm attitude and doesnt have an ego, but Im a little biased because I know him as a friend.
His amiable personality and size are not the only things that make him stand out in Pullman Regional Hospitals emergency department. Clark has a different background than the other six doctors in the department.
Originally, I wanted to be an engineer at Honda, Clark said.
However, Clark said he spent time volunteering at a hospital, which ultimately changed his career goals.
I watched the ER revive a three-year-old girl, which was amazing, he said. It got me interested.
When he began to look into medical schools, Clark made a choice that further separated him from other doctors in the midwest: he chose to become a doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) instead of an M.D.
Out here its kind of interesting because there are very few D.O.s, Clark said. In Richland, [where Clark worked in the summer] I think there were more D.O.s in the ER than M.D.s, which is really rare.
Along with the hospital in Richland, Clark has worked in several large hospitals such as in Detroit and Las Vegas.
Its easy to lose your empathy toward people, he said. You see abuse of the medical system in a big hospital, when you see a large amount of people you can lose your empathy.
Compared to allopathic medicine (M.D.), osteopathic medicine is a fairly new program and it is uncommon in many areas. There are a few differences between a M.D. and a D.O., especially their focus in medicine.
In the Midwest, an M.D. focuses on specialties, a D.O. is mainly into family practice and OBGYN, mainly the first interactions, Clark said. D.O. is much more people-oriented.
D.O. has a different philosophy, and I really enjoyed that, he said.
While being a D.O. provides Clark with a lot of opportunities, it isnt always an advantage.
Jim had to work a lot harder because of the respect issue, Sweet said.
Some people still believe the osteopathic approach is not as distinguished as an M.D., she said.
Working with D.O.s and going on these trips I have gained more respect for D.O.s, she said. One thing I have gotten from doctors, Jim loved going to school, but most of the M.D.s, would they do it again? Probably not. It makes me think about becoming a D.O.
Another thing that sets Clark apart is his experiences outside of the United States, and more recently, trips he makes with students to places like South Africa and Latin America.
I recently got back from Ecuador, he said. Its not an easy thing to do. Usually there are two to three providers and we see about 1,000 people in four days. Thats about 250 a day. But in Peru, with four students, we saw about 3,000 patients in four days.
Generally Clark takes pre-med or pre-pharmacy students on these trips.
What we do is set up at a village and provide them with basic stuff like multi-vitamins, health and hygiene, Tylenol and Motrin, and see people for sicknesses, Clark said. Most of the people we see have no money, so they dont see a doctor.
Sweet said she was amazed at the differences between the United States and other countries access to medicine.
People in Africa walked for days to get to the clinic, Sweet said. Its amazing. Im grateful for what we do have, but disgusted with how we treat it.
While the trip often included some time to enjoy the country, the trip was by no means a vacation.
I worked the students to death from 6 a.m. to seven or eight at night, Clark said. You really have to have the drive to do that. If you dont, youll be miserable.
Despite the hard work, both Clark and Sweet agreed that the effort was worth it.
You can never underestimate the effect you have on somebody, Clark said. Most people will get back more than they put into it.
Sweet had the same outlook.
I think just to go out and be with the people is the best experience, she said. Id do it again in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.
