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PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
“Would I Do It Again?”
By Leah Jacobson, MD, 2017 BCMS President
"Would I do it again?"— I would hope that I would. I bet I am
not the only physician that has pondered that important question.
With our intense training and extensive commitment in time,
money and energy, I have more than once wondered whether I could
be happy doing something else. My associates and I have joked that
if the “medicine-thing” doesn’t work out, we are going into party
planning.
I have to believe that a higher power drove me into medicine, in
particular pediatrics. I have wanted to be a pediatrician since I was
8 years old. I had a goal. I was driven. Four years of college; four
years of medical school, then residency. The residency did not go
quite as smoothly. My son, Andrew, was born with VATER’s Asso-
ciation when I was a fourth-year medical student. He had numerous
complications and was in the hospital quite a bit. All in all, my pe-
diatric residency ended up being about four years, instead of the
usual three. There were so many times it would have been easier to
quit or take an “extended break,” but something in me, as well as
the support of family and friends, pushed me on. Little did I know
that my medical training would play such an important role in my
everyday life, having a better knowledge to help my son. On the
flip-side, my son and daughters have taught me so much as well.
I do believe that medicine still offers men and women a wide
range of career options (full-time vs. part-time, private practice vs.
hospitalist vs. academics, solo-practice vs. small- or large-group prac- women, to get involved! It can be through your specialty society or
tice). There are not many professions that offer such a diversity of
options. Up until about five years ago, I had the luxury of working
part-time (in a clinical academic setting and in private practice),
both by personal choice and somewhat out of necessity. This was so
that I could maximize and enjoy my most important role as a
mother. It has been important to me to be able to take my children
to dance, piano, soccer/softball, etc. I have enjoyed having the op-
portunity to be involved in their classes and activities. I know it will practice has definitely changed since I attended medical school, and
not be long before the youngest does not want me around. This
work schedule also afforded me the ability to be available to schedule
and attend most of my son’s doctor and therapy appointments, not
to mention being able to be there when he was in the hospital or
going through recovery.
8 San Antonio Medicine • June 2017
Ironically, at this impasse of health care reform, I recall a time
when our office had two college students shadowing my colleague
and I. These two young ladies were trying to decide which path in
medicine was right for them. One was sure about medical school,
and the other was trying to decide whether medical school or physi-
cian assistant school was the right choice for her. It was an interesting
time of reflection for me. How do you encourage them to go
through what you did and not really know what is going to happen
with our healthcare system? With the presumption that there is
going to be a tremendous influx into the healthcare system of indi-
viduals, there is definitely going to be a need for both physicians
and mid-level providers (PA’s and NP’s). It is both an exciting and
somewhat frightening time to be in the field of medicine.
As an aside, I have to mention my involvement in organized med-
icine. I got involved when I started medical school in the Summer
of 1990. I joined the Texas Medical Association (TMA), and the
American Medical Association (AMA), as well as BCMS (Bexar
County Medical Society). I felt that it would give me a better un-
derstanding of a different aspect of medicine-politics, public policy,
etc., as well as afford me the opportunity to meet a variety of physi-
cians and mentors. I have continued to be active in organized med-
icine and feel that it is important that we all get involved at some
level, especially at this important time in health care reform. I would
like to continue to encourage all physicians, in particular the
your main hospital and at the local, state or national level. Everyone
counts!! You can’t be heard if you don’t say anything!
In closing, I can honestly say that I would choose medicine again.
It is a part of me, and while it doesn’t completely define me, it is
definitely a big piece! I cannot imagine not having this background
to aid me in my everyday life. The field of medicine and how we
it will continue to evolve over the next several years. I will continue
to stay involved in medicine and I hope you will too!
Sincerely,
Leah H. Jacobson, M.D.