We're excited to launch a new series that puts the spotlight on our physician, PA, and student members! Beyond impressive credentials and medical expertise, our members are fascinating individuals with unique stories and perspectives. This new feature uncovers their passions, hobbies, and the inspiring journeys that led them to a career in medicine. Our first spotlight is with long-time MSV member and leader, Dr. Claudette Dalton.
Thank you,
Paige
Where did you grow up?
In Charlotte, NC where my dad was a Family Med doc.
Why did you choose a career in medicine?
Mostly because of how I admired my dad although he tried hard to discourage me since when he was in med school (he graduated in ’45 from UVA), they were so mean to the women in his class. He eventually gave in when he saw I was determined and, luckily, my class were delightful gentlemen and there were 6 women to share the attention. We shared some very dramatic events and came out of school with a real “love” for each other. I was never treated badly by my classmates. Never.
Also, because I am a real baby about seeing anything in pain. That sounds like a cliché but I really would get upset about hurt pets or sick friends or even reading about disabled people in the news. I would always want to “do something” but I didn’t know what to do. Maybe that is why anesthesiology and surgery are where I ended up.
I originally wanted to do trauma reconstructive plastic surgery, but marriage and motherhood conspired to make that untenable. Anesthesiology was more flexible and you need a warm personality that isn’t intimidated by surgeons! And, one has a tangible result at the end of the operation.
Later, of course, it was because the human body and its conditions are so fascinating—as one of my professors said, “It is a miracle that any baby is born whole and that we have learned so much about how to cure many illnesses and ameliorate others.”
I still love learning new things about medicine. And, also, because the profession is full of such wonderful, caring people.
What is your favorite part about being a physician and why?
The patients and their stories. When an anesthesiologist starts to talk about surgery and what is going to happen, patients often get a bit scared as the realization hits them and the most amazing stories come out. Often, they are stories they have never told anyone and they are often about other scary events in their lives. It is like they need to get those stories out in the open and exorcise them.
But any patient history—not just an anesthesiology interview-- entails information about patients that includes both the usual info about where they are from, what they do, and who their family is/was but it also often includes very interesting tidbits of their lives, hopes, and regrets. It is a bit like being an archaeologist and piecing together a whole life from shards and bones.
I also love the solving of mysteries. There is a real “high” that comes from figuring out what is wrong from the clues the patient’s history and body give you. Maybe that is why I adore reading mysteries and doing crosswords. All the pieces need to fit together!
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?
There is a quote on my refrigerator that says, “Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.”
A mentor of mine, Dr. John Owen, (a former MSV president) also said, “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Don’t be encumbered by your old nonsense.” (I have since learned that he was quoting Emerson!)
He was so very right…going over and over mistakes does nothing but raise one’s blood pressure. Instead, learn from the goof and make a plan not to make that mistake again—THEN LET IT GO. You will always have the chance to make new mistakes!!!
I am going to add something here about being a woman in medicine. My class had the most women of any class up till then and 1970, when I started med school, was the year UVA went co-ed. So, there was a bit of a buffer built in. But many of the faculty and the older residents were still a bit chauvinistic—to say the least.
That was when I learned to ignore misogyny that was just part of someone’s unconscious behavior and not meant to really wound from the comments meant to demean or embarrass. Most of the time, no one meant anything by it.
Still, as the first woman with a Dean’s office title at UVA (Assistant Dean for Medical Education) and the first and only woman on many committees and boards, (including as Chair of the AMA’s Southeastern Delegation), it was a bit tiring at times. Constant scrutiny and repeatedly having to determine if comments were meant to be ugly or not can wear out anyone.
And having to repeatedly defend my status as a single mom was also exhausting. Fortunately, I had wonderful mentors, role models (think Carol Shapiro and Hazle Konerding among others), and defenders around me. And I suspect any current woman student would just roll her eyes at my tales—which is a great relief.
What advice would you give to new MSV members?
All of us owe the profession of medicine our time and energy. By joining forces and not dividing into specialties, we can accomplish much more than if we work from our individual silos.
The time will come for each of us when we need the clout of an umbrella organization. Think of active memberships as tithing; not only with money but with effort and expertise as well.
If you could interview one person (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Definitely my dad. My dad died at age 48 a few weeks before I started med school. So, I have never had a chance to share any of either my career or my family life with him. I often “talk” to him in my head, especially at times of crisis and wonder what he would advise me to do. And I know he would love meeting my son and grandson.
When are you happiest?
At the beach with my family. When we leave everyday worries at home and everyone is doing whatever they love to do whether it is reading or swimming or kayaking or shelling or long beach walks or sleeping late and then we all eat fresh seafood and go to sleep listening to the waves. Heaven!
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Paige Bishop
Senior Director of Membership
Medical Society of Virginia
Richmond VA
804-377-1039
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