You see them on breakfast television
or the six o'clock news, with their white, white teeth
and glossy hair, touting green tea or condemning carbs,
dumbing-down the day's health news. They're attractive,
they're personable and you'd better believe your patients
are paying attention to them. They're celebrity doctors.
Ever secretly wondered if you have
what it takes to be one?
According to Dr Art Hister, it's
not all that hard. "You just have to be handsome, charming,
smart, relevant, up-to-date..." he says. Anything else?
"And deeply modest."
The Vancouver FP has been a Canadian
media go-to guy since the 1970s, when a CBC producer
approached him to host Doctor, Doctor, a half-hour
medical digest program. "I've always had a big mouth,
and I had a practice made up largely of people in the
media," he recalls. Several of his CBC friends recommended
him to the producer, who arranged an audition. "She
turned on the mic and said, 'Talk'. Finally, after about
seven minutes, she said, 'Okay, okay, you've got the
job — shut up!'"
He currently hosts or contributes
to three radio programs, including "House Calls", and
Global News Vancouver. He's published three books and
several articles in national publications. If you wish
you were in his shoes, here are some of Dr Hister's
tips for how to proceed.
The
Path to Stardom
1. Be a good talker
"You have to speak at a level that is not condescending,
but that imparts good information," Dr Hister says.
It's not as easy as it looks. "In the office, you can
watch the patient's body language to see if they're
relating. But often, on TV, it's done entirely by remote
control — you don't even see the host." It helps
to put yourself in the listener's shoes, and cut out
the jargon.
2. Be warm and friendly
"One of the biggest obstacles for many doctors is that
they're afraid to let their guard down — they feel
they have to be the authority, and that puts a barrier
in the way of people relating to you."
3. Be simple and concise
"One of my early producers explained it this way: 'You
have 60 seconds to sell me one fact about anemia.' I
had to learn to focus on a particular point, and get
away from all the nuances I'd had to learn about to
become a physician."
4. Don't quit your day job
"This is not nearly as lucrative a business as you'd
think," Dr Hister warns. "It's not like having a practice.
You're a freelancer, selling your services. You have
to hustle."
5. Do it for love
In spite of the economic drawbacks, moonlighting in
the media can be immensely satisfying. "It's incredible
what kind of joy you can get out of it," says Dr Hister.
"It's one of the most wonderful things in the world
to have somebody come up to you and say, 'I saw you
on the tube, and went to my doctor and checked this
health problem out, and it made a difference in my life.'"
|
Not sure what kind of media
medic you'd like to be? Try one of these on for
size:
 MD
in the trenches
Poster boy/girl: Dr Sanjay Gupta
Habitat: War zones, hurricane hot spots,
cable news
Style: Hubba-hubba
Strategy: You look equally good in fatigues,
a speedo or a three-piece suit. You'd be a Doctor
Without a Border, but your agent thinks you need
something with a higher profile. Fortunately,
there's no shortage of medical crises from New
Orleans to Baghdad, and the world is watching.
What are you waiting for? Get embedded, and get
your war on!
Sample Quote: "I haven't showered in seven
days now. And it probably shows." — Dr Sanjay
Gupta, reporting from Iraq for CNN
 The
Rabble Rouser
Poster boy/girl: Dr Pierre 'Doc' Mailloux
Habitat: Talk radio
Style: Folksy, irreverent, racist wingnut
Strategy: You know there's no such thing
as bad publicity (even from the CRTC) if it keeps
listeners tuning in. Try winning the heart and
mind of the common man by affirming his most backward
beliefs about women, immigrants and anyone else
you're pretty sure isn't him. Back up your statements
with 'studies' and 'statistics' pulled from thin
air. He'll trust you: after all, you're a doctor!
Sample Quote: "This is not prejudice, it's
a fact." Quebec psychiatrist and radio personality
Dr Pierre 'Doc' Mailloux, on how white people
are smarter than black people
 The
Glamour Girl
Poster boy/girl: Dr Marla Shapiro
Habitat: Canadian morning programs, health
columns, Holt-Renfrew
Style: Ubiquitous, perky, inspirational
fashionista
Strategy: You're too well turned-out to
be confined to the wards. Your bedside manner
has a star quality all its own and you were born
ready for your close up. Helping patients and
scoring great shoes are your twin raisons d'Étre.
When illness strikes you down, you rise to the
challenge and share your struggle on primetime.
Sample quote: "All of us who are given
some type of life-threatening disease ultimately
learn how to run our own race and how to experience
it." — Toronto-based physician Dr Marla Shapiro
on her battle with breast cancer
 Dr
Guru
Poster boy/girl: Dr Deepak Chopra
Habitat: A field of daisies, a higher plane
of pure being, Oprah
Style: Sceptical, contrarian, infinitely
wise
Strategy: Western medicine has annoyed
many with its failure to provide unlimited happiness
and eternal life. You know better, and soon your
patients will too. Tip: A diet plan, nutritional
supplements and a self-help empire can make your
medical philosophy not only effective, but lucrative.
Sample Quote: "Tap into the field of pure
potentiality in order to orchestrate the fulfillment
of all your desires" Deepak Chopra, MD
|
|
