It’s September 2018 – Women in Medicine Month, as declared by the American Medical Association (AMA) – and today there are 333,833 female physicians practicing in the U.S. Conversely, there were about 200 women physicians in 1960 (to quote a campaign from that era: "You’ve come a long way, baby!").
Topics: Women in Medicine Month, AMA, Michelle Bens DO, locum lore, Why locum, female physicians, Do men and women doctor differently, reclaim some of your time, balancing work and family, work-life balance, benefits of working locums, AWAY suitcase giveaway
We started our story of Justin Moore, MD, with his journey to the ICU. If you’re a patient or the family of a patient, though, says Dr. Moore, “Don’t call me Dr. Moore. I’m your friend. We become friends.” It’s what he values most: “The connection with people helps me overcome every long, long day.”
Dr. Moore tells me a story about a man named Rudy and I’m not sure (at first) if Rudy is a friend or a patient. It turns out they became friends while Dr. Moore was treating Rudy’s terminally ill wife. They’re seemingly odd bedfellows, but it becomes clear that patients and friends are one and the same for Dr. Moore.Topics: justin moore md, critical care locum tenens, Journey to the ICU, locum lore, interim physicians
The first time I spoke with Justin Moore, MD, I felt like I’d known him for years. His enthusiasm is infectious, and he speaks about being a critical care doctor as persuasively as a preacher on Sunday. He’s much more than an evangelist though – he walks the walk. He recently completed a locum tenens assignment with Interim Physicians, and he regaled me with so many stories we may write a regular series about Dr. Moore even though he made my eyes well up more than once. But that’s life in the ICU.
Dr. Moore’s journey to the ICU is full of twists and turns. For starters, he never aspired to become a doctor. “It wasn’t something I knew anything about,” he says. His high school GPA was 1.98, and that was before he got kicked out – twice. “I had no direction. None,” says Dr. Moore. “I didn’t even graduate from high school. I got a GED.” It’s true, though he grew up in the sunny citrus and olive groves of the San Juoaquin Valley, the future-doctor Moore’s adolescence wasn’t all sunshine. It took a big change and a lot of help from an unlikely spiritual source to point him in a positive direction.Topics: justin moore md, critical care doctor, locum tenens assignment, interim physicians, locum lore
