Ep.21 - Dr. Swain Opens Up

In this episode, Stacy Wellborn and Dr. Ron Swain put away the science, sinus jargon, and medical insights to reveal some things about his chosen career and daily life. They talk about what it’s like to be a sinus surgeon, a doctor’s son (and grandson), a family man, a man of service, and when it’s time to be a patient’s advocate. Plus, Dr. Swain shares his views on faith in medicine, managing the rigors of a doctor’s schedule, and some advice for anyone wanting to become a physician. We don’t want to give any spoilers, but Stacy and Dr. Swain both shed a small tear or two in this warm and personal installment of the Swain Sinus Show.

Big Questions:

What influenced Dr. Swain to become a doctor?
What role does faith play in medicine?
What was medical school like?
How is residency different than medical school?
How do doctors keep up with the latest medical advancements and technology?

Need an Appointment or Sinus Consultation?

Call Dr. Swain’s nursing staff at 251-470-8823 or schedule an appointment here.

Quotables & Tweetables:

I grew up around medicine. It was always kind of in the back of my mind. Then when you get old enough, you start kind of thinking about, "Okay, what am I going to do when I grow up?" And I liked the concept of doing something to help somebody else. - Dr. Ron Swain

The hard part about being a physician is that it's a life of service. Like everything else, some days it's easier than others. - Dr. Ron Swain

The good thing or bad thing about medicine is that you see people at their most vulnerable. - Dr. Ron Swain

It's very humbling to have people come in and look at you and say, "I've got a problem. Help me with this," and that you're going to cut them open or put them to sleep and they're trusting you with their lives or their child's life or their wife's life to try to help them. - Dr. Ron Swain

When you got out of medical school, you know a vocabulary, you don't know how to practice medicine. That's what residency's for, where they teach you how to go and be a doctor and actually take care of someone. - Dr. Ron Swain

There's a lot of time, effort, and money spent on educating a physician. - Dr. Ron Swain

"You'll never quit learning" that was the one of the wisest things I've ever been told, because you've never seen it all. Even when you think you've seen it all, you've never seen it all. - Dr. Ron Swain

It's a big field and there's a lot of lot of need. But I think people have this perception that it's an easy life. It's a hard life. - Dr. Ron Swain

There are days when we're operating and I'm in surgery, and there are days that we're operating in surgery and then have clinic afterwards, and then there some days with just clinic. Invariably it seems I'm always behind. - Dr. Ron Swain

Our office trys to be respectful of everyone's time, and no one wants to come to the doctor and and have to wait. I'd almost love if we could have like just boutique appointments. You need a two minute visit, you need a 20 minute visit, you need a 40 minute visit. - Dr. Ron Swain

I think you have to have a strong faith that there is some greater being involved. For me, I have a strong faith in God.  - Dr. Ron Swain

Seeing how someone is put together and the struggles that people have individually, the only way you get through that is a belief in a higher power. The only way I get through that as a belief in a higher power. - Dr. Ron Swain

If a student thinks they want to go to medical school my advice is to decide what you want to do and don't give up.  - Dr. Ron Swain

Don’t let anyone tell you can’t get into med school and finish. You can do it. You just got to decide if you want to do it bad enough and what it's going to take. - Dr. Ron Swain

As a doctor, you're the patient advocate, and sometimes you have to fight the fights that they don't know how to fight. Sometimes you have to get them involved and you have to educate them how to fight. - Dr. Ron Swain

What I've learned today is doctors are human too. - Stacy Wellborn

Need an Appointment or Sinus Consultation?

Call Dr. Swain’s nursing staff at 251-470-8823 or schedule an appointment here.

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Swain Sinus Show is in part sponsored by Premier Medical Group located Mobile, Alabama. For more information, premiermedicalgrp.com