D epartment of M edicine
Con ne c ti ng T e c h n o lo g y , Ed uca t i o n a n d D i s cove ry w ith H um anis m in Me dicine
Vol. 13 Issue 3 Jul 2024
New Vision: Internal Medicine Residency Program elective in rheumatology because his grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis. During his rotation with Dr. Harvey Brown, he was encouraged and motivated to pursue rheumatology as a specialty because of his clinical skills and compassionate care. Dr. Quiceno has been fulfilled in both internal medicine and rheumatology specialty fields because of the long-term patient relationships. Since his short time at UTGSM, Dr. Quiceno has already made a positive impact. He has increased involvement in research and has helped develop the monthly Journal Club. He continues to practice clinical rheumatology at UT Rheumatology Associates and teaches in the resident clinic. Dr. Quiceno is hoping to increase the program’s “national footprint” and recognition through research and academic excellence. He is excited about the growth of the hospital and the possibility of adding fellowships programs within the department. Furthermore, he hopes to create and implement a primary care track for residents interested in outpatient medicine. Most of all, Dr. Quiceno is excited to continue working with faculty and staff in the development of resident education.
The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine warmly welcomed Dr. Guillermo Andres Quiceno as the Internal Medicine Program Director and Vice Chair of Education at UT Graduate School of Medicine (UTGSM) in March 2024. Dr. Quiceno is board-certified in internal medicine and rheumatology specialties. He grew up in Columbia and completed his medical school at CES University in Medellin, Colombia. Afterwards, he attended the University of Miami in partnership with Jackson Memorial Hospital for his Internal Medicine training and then completed a Rheumatology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He was on faculty at UT Southwestern for over 10 years and served as the Rheumatology Fellowship Director. Dr. Quiceno shared that he became interested in medicine at an early age and was prompted by the illnesses affecting friends and family. During high school, a fellow classmate was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and he was inspired to pursue psychiatry. He started medical school in Columbia directly after high school and chose an
Points of View
sequestered in the hospital for the entire time and even though I was a skinny young man, I lost 8 pounds during this rotation. Many of my fellow residents who preceded me on this rotation could not handle the workload, physically or emotionally. I managed to survive the ordeal. I’m confident that many readers of this column have had similar experiences because such occurrences are unfortunately all too common in clinical medicine. In other words, we must fulfill our duty toward our patients and provide them with the best care despite inordinate challenges and unreasonable demands on our time. While there is no doubt that we will be similarly tested during our careers, we must consider how privileged we are to have such experiences. Physicians make a “real difference” in people’s lives. In retrospect, I would not wish for a similar experience to anyone. Yet, the time I spent on that extremely busy rotation gave me an enormous amount of learning and boundless confidence in my abilities. Having survived such a traumatic experience, I realized that my limits had been tested and I was resilient enough to face the challenges that “Life” had in store for me. I was ready to face the world, inspired by the growth and learning from that challenging experience! We should be grateful, even under duress, for the opportunity to serve our patients and approach our work with a “get to” instead of a “have to” frame of mind. Besides receiving the gift of everlasting gratitude from our patients, we will derive a lot more pleasure and satisfaction from our work.
THE RIGHT PERCEPTION: “GET TO VS. HAVE TO” In clinical medicine, we often work outside “normal” work hours and physical capacity. In such situations, particularly when protracted or sustained, it is easy to become disheartened and lose empathy and compassion. It may seem that there is an endless cycle of demands on one’s time, Rajiv Dhand, MD, Chair and our needs may need to be subjugated to the needs of others. We grew up in a culture where it is expected that as professionals, we “have to” do more than can be done within the bounds of reason. I have often wondered if our “have to” culture in clinical medicine is the correct approach to effective patient care. Our work in the service of patients requires constant vigilance. We are expected to “bat a 1,000” every time we are at the plate. Mistakes are not acceptable because they could have serious consequences. We are to sustain this accuracy through long hours in the day and at night, on weekdays and weekends. There is often no respite; the “work culture” is to bear this with fortitude because “giving up” is a sign of vulnerability and weakness. I am reminded of a dreadful 2-month long, overwhelmingly busy rotation during my Internal Medicine residency. I was mostly 1