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It’s okay to not always have the answers

It is okay, even though you have all those degrees and letters behind your name, it’s still okay to learn from your patients and to say, “Hmm, you used this particular language to describe something, and I didn’t understand. Tell me more about that, so that I can understand.” Or, “What do you mean by that?” Now some providers when I say that, they say, “Well, now the patient’s gonna ask me all these questions that I don’t know the answer to.”

It’s okay not to always have the answers, but you have to be willing to go find out. And that takes some professional humility to say, “Hmm, you might need something I don’t know about. Let me find out about it, so that we can walk through this together.

This video is a joint production of KFF’s GREATER THAN and CDC’s LET’S STOP HIV TOGETHER. This information is shared for educational purposes and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. The views expressed are those of the featured medical professional and reflect information available to that professional at the time of filming.

Always consult a healthcare provider for any personal health decisions. The marks “CDC” and “Let’s Stop HIV Together” are owned by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services and are used with permission. Use of these logos is not an endorsement by HHS or CDC of any particular product, service, or enterprise.