We love our medical oncologist. We went through a lot to find him, and we want
to stick with him. Unfortunately, he does medicine, not radiation, so he referred
us to a radiation oncologist to treat Corinne for the next couple of months. When
she needed surgery, she had been referred out, too. The same thing had
happened with Linda. It is a norm in the world of professional specialties.

While specialization allows the development and practice of higher and finer
technologies, it seems to ignore the role of the patient’s trusting relationship with
her doctor and the rapport that develops over time. We believe that this rapport
aids in healing. It certainly makes us more comfortable. There is no way to
transfer rapport from “our doctor” to a new specialist. I know from many different
fields that the more highly specialized a professional, the less time (and value)
those people usually put into relationships with those they serve. Another more
practical problem we experience is the norm of professional deference: referring
doctors do not “oversee” the work and treatment of the specialists they send us
to; they trust them. We have learned to not automatically extend this trust. It
seems that highly specialized physicians who receive referrals generally resent
having to earn our trust.

Corinne and I each had something of a chip on our shoulders when we met our new radiologist. And it didn’t help matters.