“In primary care, we see the whole person – it's amazing!”

Myriam becoming a doctor was not a given. Tired of school after middle school, she dropped out of high school and went abroad to see the world.
-I always thought I could decide later. But suddenly I turned 30, met my husband, had kids, and realized that if I was going to be something when I grew up, it was probably time to start.

Over the years, Miriam worked various odd jobs, including home care, and knew she loved working with people. Then came the idea of ​​becoming a doctor. What would it be like to understand the need instead of handing out pills that someone else prescribed?
– I also heard from older people around me how they felt that doctors did not always listen to them. Then I thought, how hard can it be to listen to what people have to say?

He took the university exam and entered high school

When she was 34 years old, she took the university entrance exam, entered high school, and was then accepted into the medical program in Lund. When Maryam started studying, she had nothing to do with the profession. She had the idea that the doctor was specifically an area doctor in primary care, which also became her target.

– I really felt like I ended up in the right place when I came to my health center as an AT doctor. This is what I saw in front of me. This was what it meant to be a doctor.

Patients and colleagues contribute to job satisfaction

Meetings with patients give Maryam happiness and are one of the reasons she has so much fun.

– I think the great thing about primary care is that you see the whole person. It's not just a body part, but you have a holistic approach. Patients have symptoms from somewhere, but they may have concerns about very different things than what they are looking for. And then we have continuity. Getting to know her patients and following up with them, I also think that's great,” she says.

In addition to good patient communication, there are also other benefits, such as collaboration with colleagues.

-When I have questions, I knock on anyone's door. As you become more experienced, you yourself become a stepping stone for the younger ones. Having that atmosphere, where it's always okay to ask no matter how far you've come, makes you feel good, she continues:
– It is the continuity and the wholeness that I think is the great and interesting thing, because we are specialists who together take care of the whole patient. This means I have the best job in the world!