APMA News - November/December 2012 - (Page S1)

your BRIDGING THE GENERATION GAP WITH YOUR PATIENTS By Nichol Salvo, DPM APMA SUPPLEMENT TO APMA NEWS Trusted News and Information for Young Physicians NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012 / ISSUE 8 A s a podiatrist in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) in Akron, OH, I spend my day treating various generations of patients. Since starting practice in the VA three years ago, my communication with these groups of veterans has improved as I have learned to manage the profound communication discrepancies among various age groups. Values and behaviors differ dramatically across the generations. I am a member of Generation X (born 1960–1980), and while the majority of my patient base comes from the Baby Boom generation (born 1943–1965), I also encounter the Traditional generation (born before 1945), and Generation Y (born after 1980). To be successful as a physician, it is critical to understand the various backgrounds and generational differences in order to communicate effectively with patients from these groups. Let’s start with the Traditional generation, which primarily includes my World War II and Korean War veterans. Remember that in addition to these wars, this group also endured the Great Depression. This generation is extremely stoic, fiscally conservative, Values and behaviors differ dramatically across the generations. and disciplined. As a group, these patients tend to be my most compliant, and they see the value in taking care of their bodies. They display a sense of obligation to their families and their country. They have a respect for authority and are extremely loyal and hardworking. While communication with this population has been favorable in TWITTER. Catch up in 140 characters or fewer. @APMATweets FACEBOOK. Be our friend. www.facebook.com/TheAPMA APMA gratefully acknowledges the support of Upsher-Smith, sponsor of Your APMA, and PICA, founding sponsor of the Young Physicians’ Program. YOUTUBE. Watch what we do next. www.youtube.com/user/TheAPMA my experience, this group is known as the private, silent generation, and I have seen that this group does not often like to share intimate details about war or trauma, unlike other generations that open up more freely. They also tend to be more reserved about disclosing any new foot ailments. There is an art to obtaining details from these patients. I have found that the better I know these patients (the more established they are with me), the easier it is for me to draw information from them. However, getting intimate details from them can be challenging, especially with newer patients. The Baby Boomer generation has been my most difficult (and my largest) patient population. The values and beliefs of this population were formed in part by the Vietnam War, the civil rights era, Watergate, and the sexual revolution. This generation protested against those in power, and, as patients, some have difficulty trusting authority figures. This generation is described as having a sense of entitlement and will fight for its causes and beliefs. It is important to Continued on Page 2 APMA IS SOCIAL: ARE YOU? http://www.facebook.com/TheAPMA http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAPMA

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - November/December 2012

APMA News - November/December 2012
President’s Message
Contents
United States of Diabetes
Corporate Partners and Members: A History of Generosity
Tradition of Leadership: APMA Executive Directors Move Podiatric Medicine Forward
100 Years of Chiropody History in the UK: A Personal View
Annual Scientifi c Meeting Registration Form
2012 Podiatric Practice Survey: Age and Gender by Practice Arrangement Type
APMA By the Decade: 2002–2012
Reimbursement
Federal Advocacy Forum
Cosponsors to the Equity and Access for Podiatric Physicians Under Medicaid Act
APMAPAC Contributions in the 2011–12 Election Year
APMAPAC Chair Report
IT Consultant
Website Wisdom
Technofi
Small Business 101
CPME Update
APMA All Stars
Resolutions Deadlines
In Short
Worthy of Note
Affi liates Corner
Insurance Advisor
New Members
Death Notices
APMAPAC Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions
Your APMA

APMA News - November/December 2012