The Country Doctor Revisited: A Twenty-First Century Reader (Literature & Medicine)

An anthology that addresses the changing nature of rural medicine in the United States... Over the past thirty years, rural health care in the United States has changed dramatically. The stereotypical white-haired doctor with his black bag of instruments and his predominantly white, small-town clientele has imploded: the global age has reached rural America. Independently owned clinics have given way to a massive system of hospitals; new technology now brings specialists right to the patient's bedside; and an increasingly diverse clientele has sparked the need for doctors and nurses with an equally diverse assortment of skills. The Country Doctor Revisited is a fascinating collection of essays, poems, and short stories written by rural health care professionals on the experiences of doctors and nurses practicing medicine in rural environments, such as farms, reservations, and migrant camps. The pieces explore the benefits and burdens of new technology, the dilemmas in making ethically sound decisions, and the trials of caring for patients in a broken system. Alternately compelling, thought provoking, and moving, they speak of the diversity of rural health care providers, the range of patients served in rural communities, the variety of settings that comprise the rural United States, and the resources and challenges health care providers and patients face today. Who We Are- Synopsis / Godfrey Onime -- Lifeprayerdeath / Kathleen Farah -- Boundaries / Megan Wills Kullnat -- Mississippi Mayhem / C.d. Bradley-jennett -- If You Don't Have What You Want / Joseph Gibes -- Mom And Pop Doc Shop / Deborah Lee Luskin -- Stopping By Malnati's Meadow / Richard M. Berlin -- When Hostility Melted For The Funny Accent / Godfrey Onime -- Mashkikiwinini: Thanking Sylvester For His Unconditional Smile / Arne Vainio -- A Psychiatrist Waits For His Ten O'clock Patient And Imagines His Is Han Shan / Richard M. Berlin -- Three Days Changed My Grandfather's Life / David Mcray -- Early Marriage: West Virginia / Ann Floreen Niedringhaus -- Teen Pregnancy: We Were Hoping / Patricia J. Harman -- Indian Dinner In Johnson City / Abraham Verghese -- White Goat At Midnight / Richard M. Berlin -- Where We Are- Synopsis / Tom Bibey -- Spring Planting / Richard M. Berlin -- Welcome To Elma / Mitchell L. Cohen -- Dine: Navajo, People / Maureen Connolly --^ Learning From An Amish Birth / Emily Kroening -- Lost On Call / Ann Neuser Lederer -- Spring And All, Revisited / Richard M. Berlin -- Robotic Docs: Excerpts From Dick Gordon's The Story, National Public Radio / Dick Gordon -- A Vow Of Connectedness: Views From The Road To Beaver's Farm / David Loxterkamp -- Whom We Serve- Synopsis / Therese Zink And Tara Frerks -- Persuing The American Dream: The Human Face Of Immigration / Cesar Emilio Ercole -- Cord / Holly Farris -- Good Will / Don Kollisch -- Hanging On For Your Life / Lorence Gutterman -- The Brothers / Ann Neuser Lederer -- The Sisters / Anthony Fleg -- I Am The Handmaiden Of The Lord / William Orem -- Cattleman / Michael R. Rosmann -- Call / Michael Perry -- Learning To Walk The Healer's Path / Erik Brodt -- Asking The Right Questions / Therese Zink -- Our Resources And Challenges- Synopsis / Gwen Wagstrom Halaas -- Everyone Did Their Part, But / Therese Zink -- Inside The Mind Of A Modern Country Doc / Tom Bibey --^ Practice-based Research - Blue Highways On The Nih Roadmap / John M. Westfall, James Mold, And Lyle Fagnon -- Local Medical Doctors: State-of-the-art Healers / Gwen Wagstrom Halaas -- A Night In The Life Of A Rural Emergency Care Team: The Value Of The Comprehensive Advanced Life Support Program / Darrell L. Carter -- Blog: Rural Mississippi- Aftermath Of Hurrican Katrina [sic] / Shailendra Prasad -- The Dressing Change / Tara Frerks -- Thank God For My Ass / Therese Zink. Edited By Therese Zink. Includes Bibliographical References. An anthology that addresses the changing nature of rural medicine in the United States These authors courageously document the emotional and literally physical vulnerabilities they experience while delivering care in rural communities. This book exquisitely illustrates the complexity of dual relationships and boundary issues in rural practice. Family Medicine Over the past thirty years, rural health care in the United States has changed dramatically. The stereotypical white-haired doctor with his black bag of instruments and his predominantly white, small-town clientele has the global age has reached rural America. Independently owned clinics have given way to a massive system of hospitals; new technology now brings specialists right to the patients bedside; and an increasingly diverse clientele has sparked the need for doctors and nurses with an equally diverse assortment of skills. The Country Doctor Revisited is a fascinating collection of essays, poems, and short stories written by rural health care professionals on the experiences of doctors and nurses practicing medicine in rural environments, such as farms, reservations, and migrant camps. The pieces explore the benefits and burdens of new technology, the dilemmas in making ethically sound decisions, and the trials of caring for patients in a broken system. Alternately compelling, thought provoking, and moving, they speak of the diversity of rural health care providers, the range of patients served in rural communities, the variety of settings that comprise the rural United States, and the resources and challenges health care providers and patients face today.