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http://medical-jobs-newzealand.com/ — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:39:17 -0700

The Republic, Columbus, Indiana: Franz makes rounds as psychiatrist, tourist

Despite a great geographical distance, Australia and the United States are much more alike than one would expect, said Columbus psychiatrist Dr. Sherman G. Franz.

"We were much closer culturally than I would have imagined," said Franz, who recently spent six months Down Under through a medical staffing organization that connects volunteer doctors with hospitals to fill shortages in certain specialties.

Franz also was named an Honorary Indiana Ambassador before he left and was asked to spread the word about the Hoosier state.
A spirit of optimism and can-do attitude permeate both cultures, Franz said. Similar histories likely contributed: People in both countries had to develop and civilize huge continents.

Both nations also share a collective guilt about past atrocities: Americans about slavery and Australians about abuses concerning Aborigines.

A major difference, Franz said, is the driving.

"At first (driving on the left) was very challenging," he said. "As my wife said, 'This is not a natural way to operate an automobile.'"

Throughout his time at Gold Coast Hospital in Southport, Queensland, in southeastern Australia, Franz got more comfortable driving on the left - and more adventurous.

The couple often took regional road trips and, one day, decided to drive as far as they could without having a specific destination.

The couple took a wrong turn in the Outback; the paved road became a dirt path; and the only living creatures the couple saw were kangaroos hopping through the wilderness.

Ambassador

Franz, who was named chief medical officer at Columbus Regional Hospital in 1993 was planning his "next great adventure" after his retirement in 2002 and was considering the Peace Corps when he learned of Salt Lake City-based Global Medical Staffing.

The organization helps undeserved communities meet their medical needs by hiring top-quality doctors to work abroad, mostly in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Before he left, a friend from the Rotary Club suggested he apply for the Honorary Indiana Ambassador Program, sponsored by the Indiana Department of Commerce.

Franz, who was the second Indiana resident to be recognized as honorary ambassador, received packets with information about Indiana programs, such as the Life Sciences Initiative and statistics about the state's health care, businesses and population.

He shared the information with his colleagues abroad, who hailed from countries including Slovakia, India and South Africa, and they soon started talking about "the great state of Indiana," Franz said.

One of the hospital's physicians-in-training, at Franz's going-away party, presented a multitude of Indiana facts on charts he had hung in a meeting room.

"A few facts I wasn't aware of," Franz said with a laugh.

"The state of Indiana applauds Dr. Sherman Franz's contributions to the international medical field and his consultation of patients from around the nation," said Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis, the DOC's director.

"We are proud to have him represent our state to a host of nationalities on the international stage."

Health care

During his stint with the 550-bed hospital, Franz worked with psychiatrists-in-training as an Inpatient Consultant Psychiatrist in a 22-bed Acute Psychiatric Unit.

Franz interviewed patients and their families to get a picture of the problem, submitted diagnostic impressions and developed initial treatment plans.

The top three diagnoses were drug-induced psychosis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with psychosis.

"Very challenging patients," Franz said, "but (a) very satisfying professional experience."

The technical capabilities of the Australian hospital were comparable to facilities in the United States, but the approach to health care was much different, Franz said.

"It was interesting to compare the two health care systems."

Both come with advantages and drawbacks, he said.

Every Australian is covered by health insurance, so hospitals never have to worry about whether patients can afford the care.

The nation's social net also is much broader, and Franz often was amazed at how many programs for which patients can qualify.

Franz once suggested sending home a patient after two weeks but was told that a three-month stay for his particular problem was the minimum.

Franz said he sometimes felt that the approach was not in the best interest of the patients, because a longer stay can result in other problems, such as phobias about going back to work.

Managed care and financial considerations in America, where the average hospital stay is about four days, compared to 15 in Australia, have demanded greater efficiencies, Franz said.

On the other hand, he said, the fact that 45 million Americans are not covered by health insurance is "obscene."

Australia's system also is costly, he said, with tax brackets as high as 50 percent, though the physicians' wealth is just "a half notch" below that of their U.S. counterparts.

Back for more

Franz said the Australians were friendly, helpful and love to socialize by inviting friends or meeting them in pubs or for dinner.

He also took a liking to Vegemite, a dark and salty spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract and vegetable and spice additives, a food that is as much a part of Australia as koalas and kangaroos, but often produces shudders of disgust in foreigners.

"I brought some back," Franz said.

The Franzes also visited Australia's famed monolith, Uluru, caught a play at Sydney's famous Opera House, snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef and took trips to national parks, in one of which they rode in a boat when a crocodile silently approached them, coming within about 6 feet.

"That was eerie," Franz recalled.

Franz has been interested in traveling since he was stationed in Libya with the U.S. Air Force.

"There's nothing like viewing the U.S. from another part of the world," he said.

"Seeing it through other people's eyes, that's always been stimulating. We search that out whenever we can."

The couple will get another chance later this year, when Franz will engage in a second tour with GMS in New Zealand.