Dr. Erkeda DeRouen talks to Dr. Jason Singh, a board-certified physician in primary care from an accountable care organization in Northern Virginia. In this episode, Dr. Singh imparts his wisdom on new medical practitioners and the importance of men visiting their doctors.
- [01:42] Dr. Singh’s on Choosing Family Medicine
- [03:50] What Students Should Focus On Prior to Residency and Practice
- [07:17] The Importance of Men’s Health
- [09:31] How to Encourage More Men to Visit the Doctor
- [12:44] It’s Not Un-Manly to Talk About Mental Health
- [15:27] What Dr. Singh Would Change in Healthcare and His Pearls of Wisdom
What Students Should Focus On Prior to Residency and Practice
Dr. Singh believes that what medical students should do prior to becoming a resident is to always have a vision an reflect on where you see yourself in the years to come. With his field in Family Care, there is a great demand for Family Doctors hence more opportunity to be flexible with schedules and have a work-life balance, which is important for the younger generation. Second is knowing finance. Financial literacy is low among physicians given the lack of training given that residency is the first job of medical students straight out of years of medical school. It’s important to also start thinking about multiple streams of income to allow various cash flows if one source of income fails.
To summarize: have a vision, think ahead, and always diversify yourself. Dr. Singh imparts wisdom to those in the beginning of their medical career to also start networking, keep moving forward and always be on the lookout for new and exciting opportunities.
The Importance of Men’s Health
Men lead in 9 out of 10 top causes of death and a lot of these conditions are manageable and even preventable. Men don’t seek medical attention unless something is wrong even if they are more likely to get sick from a health problem than women are, missing the opportunity for preventive care. Dr. Singh shares how there are only four reasons why men come in for a check-up: 1) When their wife, partner, or mother tells them to come in, 2) If their school or job requires them to do a physical examination, 3) When they are in dire pain and 4) they think they have contracted an STD.
How to Encourage More Men to Visit the Doctor?
Talking about it and bringing more awareness to it helps encourage men to stay on top of their heath. Mental health is a huge part of overall wellness as well give that men’s suicide rates are four times higher than women’s and, as exacerbated by the pandemic, isolation and loneliness is a major problematic contributor to poor mental health linked to dementia. Dr. SinghSingh believes that if a patient doesn’t talk about it, their body talks about it through physical manifestations such as blood pressure issues, headaches, and fatigue.
What Dr. Singh Would Change in Healthcare
If Dr. Singh had a magic wand, he would try to make healthcare more accessible. Those without access are struggling with preventive care and managing chronic conditions. He sees how preventive care saves lives and he wishes for capital to be redirected to this area in healthcare instead.
Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Send a message to Dr. Erkeda DeRouen’s Instagram or MedSchoolCoach’s Instagram.
