Tmc Podcast: Interviews With Medical Specialists

Dr Eugene Teh is a General Medicine consultant working in metropolitan Melbourne. Our discussion with him today centres around the growing and ever-changing role of the generalist, which is no longer a "specialty by default". Indeed, Dr Teh explains why the idea of dual specialties is becoming increasingly popular in his field. We chat with Eugene about the benefits of the "holistic" approach general medicine offers to doctors. This not only involves a breadth of systems but considerations of the patient, including psychological and social needs. We talk about the "challenge" of diagnosis, an aspect of the specialty he stresses students must enjoy. However, with an increasingly ageing population with multiple chronic illnesses, Eugene finds it difficult to "cure" his patients. Instead, he has learnt to manage them, a distinction we must keep in mind in order to prevent becoming disillusioned by or frustrated with our goals. As students, Eugene, like most, encourages us to "enjoy student life" while making s