Well, we just had to know more, so we asked Dr. Fustino to sit down with us to better understand how he went from thinking about making his patients happy to becoming a champion for improving his patient’s experience. This isn’t just another story of going from good to great, it’s about the discovery and connection of what matters most to him and his patients.
Watch the story…
A little chat with Nick Fustino, MD…
In the film, you draw an interesting connection between your own satisfaction and how well you connect with patients. What would you like your physician colleagues to take away from this?
Dr. Fustino: For physicians who are primarily clinical, I believe one of the primary reasons we choose this career path is because we enjoy the physician-patient dynamic, and we believe that connecting with patients is one of our strengths. Some of my best days are when I know that I “click” with every patient or family during an encounter. Even when having to deliver bad news, as in a “new diagnosis talk”, I get an incredible amount of satisfaction when I execute this well. And when there is evidence (a comment by a patient, a complimentary letter received, favorable patient satisfaction scores, etc.) outside of my own perception, this only further enhances my job satisfaction and fosters a more positive attitude.
One might say, that you’ve evolved from a “reluctant physician scientist,” to a physician pioneering the patient experience. What has your focus on the “human side of medicine” taught you?
You brought up this idea of working towards becoming a “master clinician”, and the risk of becoming complacent. What are key attributes of the “master clinicians” you know?
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