Accompanying a doc

Offered through the Clark County Medical Society, the annual job-shadowing program pairs up Southern Nevada business and political leaders with doctors for a day in an effort to help foster respect for medical practitioners and start conversations on improving patient care, says the society’s executive director, Alex Silver.

“In the current state of the way legislation has impacted medicine, it also has impacted patient care. It’s affecting patient access. And sometimes, it’s affecting the quality of care that they’re getting, or at least the perception,” Silver said. “It’s our hope that when folks get to see behind the shadows, they see there’s

still work going on behind the scenes.”

At a dinner Wednesday attended by about 20 participants in this year’s program, conversations about areas that could use improvement were already brewing.

“Is there some way we could have a conversation in the community about the practice of the business side of medicine … and distinguishing patient care and customer service and how they go together?” former Republican Assemblywoman Valerie Weber, who is running for state Senate in District 8, asked the group of doctors and business leaders. “To me, I think those conversations need to be ongoing.” Jessie Bekker Review-journal

doctor’s impending retirement.

“We’ve been through a lot,” Allison said.

The fond farewells continued through the morning, with Allison hugging each patient before squirting a glob of hand sanitizer into her palms and rushing off to the next.

Gardening and Pilates

While she’s watched treatments advance since she began in the field, including the introduction of nausea medication and growth factors to maintain blood counts, Allison said she’s worried about how the rising cost of drugs will affect cancer patients.

“My people have pills now that if they were pay for them out of pocket, it’d be $10,000 a month,” Allison said.

She admits she’ll miss the patients and her staff. Before she leaves, she’ll have to figure out what to do with the posters, books and trinkets that decorate her three patient rooms themed to represent the Wizard of Oz, the Dallas Cowboys and her family.

In retirement, Allison plans to garden more often and continue taking Pilates. She’s also looking forward to spending more time with her husband and visiting family in Texas.

“I just need to recharge my battery,” Allison said. “That’s all.”

Contact Jessie Bekker at jbekker@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @jessiebekks on Twitter.