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It’s often said that the best relationships between doctors and patients are built on trust. The question then becomes, how to create that trust? To answer this, we’ve taken some time to look to a practitioner who’s become well known for his positive working relationships with patients — Dr. Alddo Molinar. The use of important practices such as keeping a high level of communication, planning his schedule effectively, and making himself available to patients has helped the doctor to earn a wide reputation for his quality of care. Read on for a look at his work in detail, including the experience and training that has helped him achieve his notoriety.
Education and training
Alddo Molinar knew from an early age that he wanted to work in the medical field. This knowledge came from an early aptitude which showed him capable of achieving a great many things and also a number of unfortunate illnesses in his family. Seeing the devastating effect these medical issues had on those he cared about, the future doctor made it a goal to help alleviate suffering in others. That pledge would lead him down a path that has ultimately allowed him to make a major and sustained impact on the lives of innumerable patients.
That path began, formally, through his undergraduate education at Trinity University in San Antonio. After earning his B.S. in Biology from the school, he went on to attend medical school at The University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas. He would then go on to complete his residency at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. While completing his residency, the doctor not only engaged in training in his main specialty, anesthesiology, he also studied a variety of other subspecialties including critical care medicine, trauma anesthesia, and regional anesthesia. He also undertook additional training in neurological intensive care and cardiovascular intensive care while completing a Critical Care Medicine fellowship. This additional training allowed Dr. Molinar to lead the operating room as well as the intensive care unit.
Organization and leadership
One of the key skills he picked up through his education and training was the ability to stay organized. This is especially important for an anesthesiologist, which is an area of practice that the doctor likens to being a pilot, if the operating room were an airport that is. He draws this analogy based on the manner in which an operating room consists of a number of professionals all busily working together to achieve the same goal in tandem, noting that a surgery must start and end with the anesthesiologist working with the patient. Taking off and landing the plane, so to speak.
On a typical day, the doctor will often be involved with multiple surgeries simultaneously. This necessitates a high degree of organization and also leadership to be able to direct efforts on multiple fronts. The attention to detail required to perform well under this type of pressure is something that was apparent from the doctor’s early aptitude but was also carefully cultivated through his work in the field. Without it, he would be unavailable to the medical professionals with which he collaborates and, by extension, the patients who’ve entrusted themselves to his care.
Open communication
Of course, communication plays a huge role in the doctor’s ability to successfully accomplish his goals. Working seamlessly with other medical professionals is key, both inside and outside the operating room. A strategy for addressing the specific needs of each patient must be developed prior to surgery and must be carefully enacted on the day of the operation. From this point of view, it’s perhaps unsurprising that, as we’ve seen, the doctor compares the endeavor to a busy airport, an institution that would be unable to operate without the ever-present communication from air traffic control.
Communication, however, is not just important between medical professionals, it also forms the basis of any thriving doctor/patient relationship. This has been an area in which the doctor has made a name for himself over the years and it’s no accident that it has become a hallmark of his work. In fact, he takes special care to make himself available to patients at every stage of their journey. Discussing details with them in a kind and caring manner and also following up after an operation to see how their recovery is going. He’ll often engage in those follow-ups via telephone after hours, further highlighting his desire to emphasize patient care whenever possible.
Empathy in action
Ultimately, the dedication displayed by the doctor is an indication of the deeply-held empathy he has for the patients under his care. That empathy is not only informed by the suffering he’s witnessed firsthand in his family but also through his many years of experience. It’s a trait that allows the medical professional to place himself in his patients’ shoes and work to understand the difficulty of whatever they’re going through. It also helps to motivate him to maintain his high level of dedication and care through long hours and under tumultuous conditions.
That’s one of the reasons why the doctor also prioritizes celebrating accomplishments with his team along the way. In fact, he builds time into each day to take stock of the work he’s engaged in at that time and to look forward to the work left in the day. He records the efforts of those around him and makes sure to highlight their victories together. These practices show that the doctor’s empathy extends not just to patients but also the dedicated men and women with whom he works, knowing that they too are motivated to make a difference in the lives of those around them.
Caring for patients successfully requires a myriad of talents. It certainly benefits from a high degree of knowledge and training to help patients thrive through their medical treatments. But it also requires a level of mutual trust that is built through empathy, communication, attention to detail, and a genuine desire to alleviate suffering. The work of Dr. Alddo Molinar helps to showcase how these talents manifest in the real world. Looking to his efforts and analyzing how he interacts with patients can be an informative practice for any medical professional seeking to attain the highest possible level of patient care.
