Dr. Carlton McGregor, MD, who works at New York Presbyterian Hospital, tells us the best parts about being a doctor and why it's been so good to be home again taking care of the people that he grew up with.
Q: What kinds of patients do you see?
A: I am an internal medicine physician and a lung specialist , which means I treat people with general health problems and I also see people who have complicated lung disease. All sorts of people come to see me - young, old, and middle-aged patients- and I enjoy seeing them all. I'll even see people who don't want to say that they're sick, but need to be checked out anyway.
Q: What's your favorite part about being a doctor?
A: Did you know that in Latin, the word "doctor" means "teacher"? That's my favorite part - teaching and educating my patients. Each patient is their own textbook, with their own health problems and their own view of medicine, so I enjoy training each patient to be their own doctor. I think that it is important for each patient to be aware of what their family medical histories are, like if their family has a history of diabetes, because this has a lot to do with their own health.
Today, a main part of being a doctor is teaching people about how to prevent sickness, because some things we are not able to cure. It's a joy seeing people understand more about their bodies and take responsibility for their own health, rather than looking to someone else to make things better for them.
I also love seeing patients who are 90 or 95 years old and live by themselves. They inspire me and make me say to myself: if I live that long, I hope I can be like that.
Read more from Dr. McGregor by clicking the links below:
- His experiences becoming a doctor
- What older patients are doing to stay healthy
- Getting the most out of doctors visits
- Mixing medicine and faith
- Story about patient lowering her blood pressure
- Getting tested for high blood pressure, diabetes, and HIV
- Parents' involvement in children's health
- Tips to be a better patient