Family Physicians as Conductors of the Health Care Orchestra

One hundred years ago, George Gershwin put pen to paper and composed the instant American classic “Rhapsody in Blue.” The story is much more interesting than that, as he was surprised to read in the newspaper that he was going to be part of an upcoming concert he had already turned down! Having just five weeks to come up with something, he got a vision for the song during a train ride to Boston.¹ Shortly after, this jazzy concerto debuted to acclaim and has been captivating audiences ever since.

“Rhapsody in Blue” has been my favorite song since I was a kid — weird considering my favorite band is The Rolling Stones. But something about it mesmerizes me. You can imagine how happy I was when I went to a recent performance of “Rhapsody” by the Cleveland Orchestra. (If you get a chance to visit historic Severance Music Center, do it. You won't be disappointed.)

Since the concert, I've been thinking about how family physicians are like orchestra conductors. Think of an orchestra without the conductor; each musician, while highly talented, would be on stage playing their music completely out of rhythm with the other musicians. The result would be a hodgepodge of sounds akin to a city full of random dogs barking and horns honking. Then the conductor steps on stage and leads the orchestra, balancing out their skills and guiding them in their artistry — all for the goal of producing something harmonious.