The recent news about some Providence St. Vincent physicians voting to form a labor union due to stress and burnout highlights an issue that affects doctors in private practice as well. If you have a medical provider you value, please treat them and their staff kindly and express your appreciation, particularly if they have the option to retire, (“Labor unrest spreads in Oregon health care industry; some physicians seek to form union,” July 7).
I recently visited a specialist I’ve been seeing for over 30 years. This is a highly qualified, board certified physician in private practice who has provided excellent and compassionate care. While there, I learned about rudeness and willful ignorance the doctor and staff have experienced from patients, particularly since the pandemic. This physician could retire but has opted to keep the practice open on a slightly more limited basis while still seeing a heavy patient load. Too much of this bad behavior, however, could reverse that decision.
For all the disparaging remarks about the baby boom generation, many doctors who are part of this group have sacrificed decades of work-life balance to serve their patients. When they are gone, the difficulty many of us already experience in getting appointments will be far worse. Let’s not accelerate this situation by taking out our frustrations on them.
Laurie Brooks, Tigard
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