The Rise and Fall of Dr. Mom
Women, the Health Care Crisis, and the Future
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Today, September 9, 2005, I decided to retire from the practice of medicine and write this book. The following text will recount my story, revealing my journey from one point to the other. As you may have heard, a health care crisis is brewing in America, and I find myself in the midst of it. I, Angela Lowe Heider, MD, am an obstetrician and gynecologist living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I am also a wife and proud mother of three. I have struggled with my career choices and watched friends and colleagues struggle as well. We are each finding our own solutions. Although some will continue to practice medicine, many of us have elected to retire. I dedicated ten years, significant resources, and many tears to my current path. Though the journey has been difficult and the sacrifices significant, my career has also been a blessing. I have grown, matured, and managed to help a few people along the way. The further removed you are from an experience, the more fondly you recall it. I too will have fond memories of my time as an obstetrician and gynecologist. The stories of women in medicine are worth telling. This is the story of my life and career, and it is true. It is also a story of working women – the guilt, the delicate balance, the rewards. It is a story of the modern physician and of a failing heath care system. I hope this account will be both entertaining and educational. The telling has been many things to me, not the least of which is a chance to heal. If you are a woman contemplating a career in medicine or any career for that matter, this text should be both insightful and informative. If you are a mom, working or otherwise, you will relate. If you are a patient, you should be aware of the forces shaping those who are caring for you. If you are an American, you should be interested in the solvency of our health care system. We are fortunate in that we can access excellent medical care in this country. I, for one, would like to keep it that way.
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About the Book
In The Rise and Fall of Dr. Mom, Angela Lowe Heider describes in raw detail her short career as an obstetrician and gynecologist. She highlights the many challenges female physicians and their families face and draws attention to the delicate balance all working women must achieve to ensure peace on the home front while allowing for professional pursuits outside the home. Through vivid personal accounts, Dr. Heider invites the reader into the mind and emotions of one physician struggling to maintain that balance. The reasons for her decision to retire from the practice of medicine at the young age of thirty-two are frankly defined with compelling honesty. The Rise and Fall goes on to more briefly describe the lives and careers of six other female physicians, all of whom have faced similar obstacles. Some, like Dr. Heider, have decided to retire from the practice of medicine. Others have found ways to make medical careers work for their families. Each story provides further insight. All women, working or otherwise, will identify with the emotionally charged decisions every woman must make about the type of mother she will be. Dr. Heider then delineates the many problems our American health care system currently faces. Specifically, she cites antiquated training programs, unaffordable medical care, a health care delivery system mired in bureaucracy, and the ongoing medical malpractice crisis. The Rise and Fall of Dr. Mom offers thoughtful solutions, professional insights, and an optimistic plan for the future.
About the Author
Angela Lowe Heider is an obstetrician and gynecologist, wife, and mother of three. She was born and raised in the Carolinas and attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with a BS in Biology with Honors and Distinction. She went on to The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where she was inducted in the honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha, and graduated with Distinction. Angela completed her training in obstetrics and gynecology at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, and, until recently, practiced medicine in Durham. She will now concentrate on raising her family in Mooresville, North Carolina and increasing public awareness regarding problems with health care delivery in America.