Dr. Frank Kessler

When assigned this project, I assumed I would be in a group with people who were interested in Communication and English like myself. However, when placed in a group where the majority of its members were interested in medicine, we all chose to interview a person in the that field. Initially, I planned to interview someone from the D.C. area, however when home in Connecticut for a weekened last month, I decided to interview someone who is a colleague of my father's. Enter: Dr Frank Kessler. Dr. Kessler is an internist from Brewster, NY who trained with my father at Danbury Hospital after medical school. He attended Thomas Jefferson University for his undergraduate studies and graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1983. He then trained at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, CT and opened his own private practice, Brewster Medical Group, with my father in the late 1980's. Dr. Kessler is a 4 star rated doctor, according to vitals.com and one of the funniest men I've ever personally met. He has also been practicing medicine for over 20 years at Danbury Hospital and his private practice and I knew he would be more than happy to provide me with the information I needed for this project.

Dr. Kessler, or Dr. Frank, as he tells his patients to call him, emphasized how important it is to him that his patients are at ease when they come to see him. He knows that many people get nervous when they have to go for a check-up and his goal is for them to feel comfortable. However, he also emphasized that his patients, employees and colleagues still have to respect him. In his line of work, Dr. Frank says that conflicts occur mostly with other doctors and nurses, but not as often with the patients themselves. He says that when dealing with conflict with other doctors or nurses, he solves it by always remaining calm, and by backing up his points with medical facts or literature. He says that although pride can sometimes get in the way, when he is wrong, he knows it is important that he admits to his mistakes because when dealing with medicine, a person's life is in his hands.

When I asked Dr. Frank how he makes sure that he is communicating effectively with a patient, he told me that listening is a huge part of the process. When he first meets a patient, he has to listen effectively and comprehensively to their medical history. If he has questions, he inquires and clarifies with the patient. Toward the end of an appointment, he will write down directions for the patient to follow and repeat the most important points multiple times to emphasize the importance of what he is saying. He makes sure to ask them if they have any questions before they leave the appointment and often calls to follow up with them and make sure that they aren't having any issues with the treatment. Dr. Frank also mentioned that the most common issues with patients have to do with their expectations. Often they want a specific drug or test done but their symptoms don't warrant what they expect. He also says that when dealing with elderly patients, conflict usually occurs with the family members (spouses, children, grandchildren), not the patients themselves. I found that this was the most important information he gave me because often people don't think about how the family members interact with the doctors and I found this information interesting and enlightening.

Dr. Frank Kessler was more than willing to give me any of the information necessary and made the interview light-hearted and fun through his use of humor. He told me to contact him with any questions I might have later on in this process and told me if I ever need any help again to give him a call!