October 2024 member spotlight
James R. Yates, MD
- Former chief of staff, Jacksonville Medical Center
- Former president and board member, Alabama Medical Directors Association
- Member, Council for Medical Education, Medical Association of State of Alabama
- Former command surgeon, 81st Regional Readiness Command, United States Army Reserves, with rank of colonel
- Former chief, Professional Services for 1207th USAR Hospital
Location: Jacksonville, Alabama
Specialty: Internal medicine/geriatrics
Q: As a physician leader, why is physician advocacy important to you? How can physicians have a significant impact outside the practice of medicine?
A: While I have retired from office practice and our local hospital closed, I still am the medical director of a nursing home and a hospice and a home health care agency. Our whole practice of medicine is under extreme pressure these days from multiple sources so sharing lessons learned from years of experience is vital to help ensure quality care for our patients. I currently am involved in advocacy as a member of the post-acute and long-term care medicine state-based committee on advocacy and our state medical association’s advocacy efforts. Our political leaders still respect doctors and esteem input from us to help their decision processes with the many demands for change in medical care from society, so it is critical to provide this input to help shape the decisions being made.
Q: How can senior physicians help in their local communities, especially if doctors are retired and want to return to work to work during this time?
A: To be in primary care you need to enjoy helping others and this has been my main driving force for over 40 years of practice. I am currently involved in teaching family practice resident in geriatrics and serving as a collaborating physician for a nurse practitioner free clinic and going on medical mission trips to Honduras.
Bedside teaching of all involved in patient care has always been something I enjoy. It is my hope to continue to help others and show care to others as long as I can and help others in health care do so as well. I have been blessed to be able to do this in many settings over the years in many countries.
Q: How do you stay up to date on current events in the AMA and medical and health care industries?
A: Of course, to be effective in providing care, you must stay up to date on how to provide this care. Fortunately, in this day it is easier to do this than ever with online sources. However, you need to ensure your educational source is valid and reliable. I primarily use AMA provided sources as well as post-acute and long-term care medicine courses as my source of education. Additionally, I participate in the longitudinal knowledge assessment course (through American Board of Internal Medicine).
Q: What are three lessons you learned through the pandemic?
A: The pandemic certainly exposed the need for all involved in health care to care and rely on accurate educational information to provide that care. To see how all involved in health care have rallied to provide that care in extreme conditions has been uplifting. However, the burnout from the stress and public reactions has been a source of sadness. I think this further enforces the need for senior experienced caring physicians to stay involved to all working in health care and the public in dealing with these stresses in a manner that helps result in appropriate care for our patients though this can be quite frustrating at times.
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