The color of atmosphere
Subtitle: one doctor's journey in and out of medicine
By: Maggie Kozel
Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub.
Published: 2011
Place of publication: White River Junction, Vt
Language: eng
Number of pages: 236
ISBN-13: 9781603582971
Subjects: Pediatrics; Women Physicians; Delivery of Health Care; Health Policy; Pediatricians; Medical care; Biography; Chemistry teachers
Description: (Publisher-supplied data) If the medical profession you'd devoted your life to was completely taken over by liability concerns and insurance regulations, would you stay a physician? The Color of Atmosphere tells one doctor's story and the route of her medical career with warmth, humor, and above all, honesty. As we follow Maggie Kozel from her idealistic days as a devoted young pediatrician, through her Navy experience with universal health coverage, and on into the world of private practice, we see not only her reverence for medical science, and her compassion for her patients, but also the widening gap between what she was trained to do and what is eventually expected of her. Her personal story plays out against the backdrop of our changing health-care system, and demonstrates the way our method of paying for health care has reached its way into the exam room, putting a stranglehold on how doctors practice, and profoundly influencing the doctor-patient relationship. The stories she shares illustrate the medical, economic, and moral complexities of US health care. To understand Dr. Kozel's ultimate decision to leave medicine is to better comprehend the disconnect between our considerable medical resources and how our health-care system falls short of delivering them.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Big dreams in a small place; title: Safe landing; title: The color of atmosphere; title: The heart of the matter; title: The facts of life; title: Casper and friends; title: Nature and other mothers; title: The front line; title: Universal appeal; title: Cradle wisdom; title: Reality, civilian-style; title: To have and to have not; title: Brian and Billy; title: Family ties; title: Mae; title: Nuts and bolts; title: Between the lines; title: The best defense; title: Leaning into pain; title: Follow the money; title: Tilting at obesity; title: Uncommon sense; title: Fast talk; title: Johnny, James, and John; title: Codes to live by; title: Fracture; title: Nothing personal; title: The worried well; title: Calling Dr. Pez; title: Spoonfuls of sugar; title: Night vision; title: A ride through the desert; title: An open door; title: Just what the doctor ordered; title: Ripples of grief; title: The long good-bye.