Nathan:What kind of doctor are you?
Dr. LeeI am an internal medicine physician specialized at taking care of hospitalized patients. The official name for my specialty is Hospitalist.
Nathan:What do you do as a Hospitalist?
Dr. Lee: My job is to admit and treat patients in the hospital if they have serious illness, such as pneumonia, stroke, or infection that can not be safely treated at doctor's office. I try to make patients better and discharge them from hospital, so they can continue to see their own doctors in the office.This is the reason I don't have an office for outpatient practice.
Nathan:How old are your patients,(age range)?
Dr. LeeI take care patients from age 16 to above 100. Majority (70%) of my patients that I seen in the hospital are elderly above 65.
Nathan:Do you work the night shift?
Dr. LeI work the night shift all the time. My colleague and I have to take turn to do night shifts so there is always physician in the hospital in case there is emergency.
Nathan:What did you major during the undergraduate years?
Dr. Lee I did four years of undergraduate, majored in Molecular Cell Biology. I then did 4 years of medical school, followed by 3 years of residency training in internal medicine before becoming a real doctor.
Nathan:How do you stay awake during night shift?
Dr. Lee: I stay awake during night shifts by drinking a lot of coffee. When I was small, I used to stay up really late. Since then, I have gotten used to it. I can also sleep anytime in the daytime, which help me replenish my energy. This, however, is not a good habit though.
Nathan: What is the hardest thing when being a doctor?
Dr. Lee:The hardest thing for me is learn to effectively communicate with patients of different background and their loved ones. Communication is the most important, yet the most difficulty to master, in my professional field.