Offcall Physician Spotlight: Meet Dr. Pamela Buchanan

Have a response for Dr. Buchanan? Reply to this post directly, she’ll personally read every message. Also, let us know who we should feature next by replying directly to this post!

1. Pamela, what do you think the public most misunderstands about being a physician in 2026? People think doctors still control the system. We don’t. Most of us are practicing inside corporate, insurance-driven structures that limit time, autonomy, and clinical judgment. The public sees the white coat — not the prior authorizations, productivity quotas, moral injury, or emotional weight of holding life-and-death responsibility with shrinking resources. We are also not rich. We give up so much to be doctors.

2. What would you tell a first-year resident that no one told you — but should have?

Medicine will take everything you don’t protect. Your time, your health, your identity, your relationships. Being a good doctor does not require self-destruction. Learn boundaries early, ask for help without shame, and remember: your worth is not measured in RVUs or how much you suffer.