Dr. Watson’s Advice to Physicians: Humanity is the Best Prescription
Andrew Siegel MD 9/20/25
Today’s entry is a guest blog composed by Dr. Richard Watson. He is a general urologist and retired United States Army colonel who spent the first 28 years of his urology career practicing as an active-duty Army surgeon. Since his retirement from the Army, he has been practicing in a teaching and academic capacity at Hackensack University Medical Center, where he is chief of Ambulatory Urology.
Dr. Watson composed the following words in 2017 and states: “In 2025 they are more meaningful than ever.” His advice to practicing physicians encourages them to show warmth, empathy, compassion, and humanity to our patients:
Better to light a small candle than to curse the great darkness. Rescue at least one patient each day. Take the “icy” out of ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases); let CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) mean “Care without constraint in Payment or Time.”
If you cannot go to a full-time concierge practice, then bring a moment of it, once a day, to yours. Each day, for at least one patient, shut down your EHR (Electronic Health Record) computer, turn and face your patient. Make eye contact; touch your patient with your ungloved hand. Be readier to listen than to speak. Make it clear that you not only care for your patients, but you care about them, too.
If you cannot go to a charity care clinic, then live a moment of it, once a week, in yours. Provide your personal care to at least one under-insured or uninsured patient. Make a difference in your patient’s life. Treat a pregnant patient and rescue two!
Remember the Hippocratic commitment to trustworthiness. My personal mini version: “I pledge to you, my patient, that I will never let anything stand between you and me and the trust that you place in me. — Not anything or anyone – not bureaucrats, politicians, agencies, monitors, screeners, supervisors, nor any other clipboard jockey.” As my Irish mother would put it, “Don’t give those bums the satisfaction!”
The answer to burnout is to keep that small candle of personal commitment glowing, no matter what. The darker the night; the brighter the light! Keep it glowing and pass it on!
Wishing you the best of health,
Andrew Siegel MD
A new blog is posted weekly. To receive a free subscription with delivery to your email inbox visit the following link and click on “email subscription”: www.HealthDoc13.com
Dr. Andrew Siegel is a physician and urological surgeon who is board-certified in urology as well as in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. His mission is to “bridge the gap” between the public and the medical community.
He is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Urology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and is a Castle Connolly Top Doctor New York Metro Area, Inside Jersey Top Doctor and Inside Jersey Top Doctor for Women’s Health. He is a urologist at New Jersey Urology, a Summit Health Company.
Dr. Siegel is the author of several books. The second edition of his prostate cancer book is available in print and Kindle formats at Amazon: Prostate Cancer 20/20: A Practical Guide to Understanding Management Options for Patients and Their Families. The audiobook version is available at Amazon: Prostate Cancer 20/20 Audiobook.
