HealthLinks Charleston July/August 2022

MEN WI N HEALTH www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com | 43 Becoming a doctor requires a lot of hard work and dedication. But becoming a good doctor – someone who is compassionate and advocates for her patients – requires a level of empathy and acknowledgement of an individual’s needs that goes far beyond what is needed to get through the years of education and training. And that’s exactly what drives Jennifer Beatty, D.O., at The Breast Place. “I wanted to dedicate my life to help make people better than they were when they met me,” said Dr. Beatty. “I wanted to help others to see the beauty in thriving. It's one thing to get through a difficult diagnosis, but it’s a beautiful thing to see someone not only get through the time but thrive and flourish after.” While Dr. Beatty has always had the same aims, she hasn’t always stuck to the path toward becoming a doctor. While in school, she wanted to be an art therapist, using the process of making art to work with patients. “I learned that the physician makes the decisions, along with the health care team, and I wanted to not only be able to be part of the decision-making process, but I also wanted to do it with a bigger voice.” She found her way to breast diagnosis and treatment after she had served in the U.S. Navy as a general surgeon and as director of the breast clinic at the Charleston Naval Hospital. “After I served in Iraq, I wanted to be more than a surgeon,” said Dr. Beatty. “Serving injured soldiers in active battle, I saw trauma and saw desperation in those who were holding onto hope. When I got home, I found a desire to provide hope and life to patients in need. Hope is easily defined, but, by life, I mean finding oneself beyond a disease because people are more than a diagnosis.” While working in a clinic stateside may not be as intense as serving in active battle, it’s not without its own challenges, and Dr. Beatty recognizes the need to treat every patient – a soldier, a breast cancer survivor or just someone in need of care – with the same dignity and empathy. “Big business is taking over health care in the United States and trying to make it a ‘one size fits all’ routine when it’s not. Patients are individuals and require individual attention, individual treatments and individual plans to survive past a diagnosis. The bias and bureaucracy in medicine has caused it to become a corporation, and it is no longer about doctors caring for patients. It’s become about money and what people can get out of patients.” Despite the difficulties, working as a physician is also extremely rewarding. Dr. Beatty values the connections she is able to make with her patients above all else and credits them for making her job worth any struggle. “When you walk into a room and patients open up their world for you, there are no boundaries or anger – just raw emotions,” said Dr. Beatty. “It’s beautiful.” By Katherine Waters Dr. Jennifer Beatty THE BREAST PLACE North Charleston 843-797-1941 thebreastplacesc.com @thebreastplace I wanted to dedicate my life to help make people better than they were when they met me. " "

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