Real Life of an MSW

I love the Op-Ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader

Re: “Former Seattle Children’s doctor wins $21M in discrimination lawsuit” (Dec. 23, Local News):

I am a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, and I have received medical training and been in medical practice both in the Deep South and in the Pacific Northwest. I am a Black physician. The issues raised by Dr. Benjamin Danielson in the lawsuit against Seattle Children’s hospital are difficult and painfully familiar to my colleagues. I applaud his courage.

I, too, have worked in well-regarded hospitals where I’ve seen some Black patients receive excellent, compassionate care while others endure medical negligence and malpractice. I’ve seen Black women, as patients, nurses and as physicians suffer mistreatment by patients, professional colleagues and administrators of all backgrounds. Excellent, compassionate medical care and a hostile work environment are not necessarily mutually exclusive. We must encourage the former, and help our vital institutions deal with the latter.

My North Star as a physician has always been, “What is best for my patients?” The process of answering that question keeps me grounded and leads to healing for the patient, for the institution and for me.

John Vassall, MD, Seattle