Whether he’s dealing with clinic patients, co-workers, family members or members of his youth sports teams, Douglas Wheatley, M.D., aims to treat people how they would like to be treated.
It’s a method that a behavioral assessment company has trademarked as “The Platinum Rule.” To Dr. Wheatley, it’s a way of life that has come from years of studying people’s personal styles and modifying his approach to improve interpersonal relationships.
“Realizing people’s styles is important when interacting with them,” Dr. Wheatley said. “I try to provide them feedback in a manner that their style considers appropriate.”
For his outstanding work at UNMC, Dr. Wheatley was named the July winner of the Chancellor’s Gold ‘U’ Award.
Going the extra mile
One of Dr. Wheatley’s nominators, a colleague in the department of family medicine, said that, “More than any physician in the group, he is consistently willing to go more than the ‘extra mile’ for his patients.
|
|
“He has wheeled them to their vehicle in a wheelchair and has on many occasions bought food or drink for a patient having to wait over the lunch hour,” the nominator wrote. “He spends many hours of administrative time in the clinic with some of his ‘special needs’ patients. He always does more than his share.”
Studying personal styles
An associate professor in the department of family medicine, Dr. Wheatley began studying personal styles when Residency Director James Stageman, M.D., asked him to help develop the interpersonal skills of the department’s resident physicians.
Dr. Stageman had been exposed previously to the teachings of David W. Merrill and Roger H. Reid, who believe that each person responds differently to the behavior of others. A certain person’s behavior, however, is almost certain to fall into one of four categories defined by degrees of emotional responsiveness and assertiveness. Dr. Wheatley was a quick study, and currently, he works not only with residents, but faculty physicians and other staff, as well. The 11/2-day course uses the assessments of colleagues and friends to identify a person’s style.
“Each style has needs, orientations and growth actions,” Dr. Wheatley said. “By knowing more about their style, people can understand their own needs and how they have tendencies to act with others.
“We don’t try to change anyone. They can learn some strategies to more effectively use their style; that’s the concept of versatility.”
Interpersonal training
Dr. Wheatley said that he knows his own style is amiable, and he needs to challenge himself to be more assertive. He uses this knowledge when, as the medical director of UNMC’s Student Health and as medical director for the Family Medicine Clinic in the Durham Outpatient Center, he must resolve conflicts that arise occasionally.
“The interpersonal training helps me to get through to the issues of a particular conflict – to de-personalize the situation and make a decision,” Dr. Wheatley said.
From business to medicine
A native of northwestern Missouri, Dr. Wheatley originally was a business major at the University of Missouri. He turned his sights to medicine amidst the prospects of a weakening economy and the realization that he was enjoying his college science courses.
He picked family medicine because of his small-town experiences and his love of both pediatrics and geriatrics.
“Growing up in a small town, the general practitioner was the only medical professional I was exposed to growing up,” Dr. Wheatley said. “I always admired our family physician; he went a long way in influencing me in who I am today.”
A passion for academic medicine, family
Dr. Wheatley came to UNMC as a resident physician in 1978, and he joined the UNMC faculty after his residency graduation, turning down an offer to join a private practice with some medical-school friends in Branson, Mo.
“I think I have stayed in academic medicine because I enjoy working with the residents and the medical students,” said Dr. Wheatley, whose parents were both schoolteachers. “It’s gratifying to watch the residents transition from their first year into a polished physician, for the most part, when they graduate.”
Outside of work, Dr. Wheatley enjoys coaching youth sports, including soccer, baseball and basketball. He and his wife, Kim, have four children: Derek, 19; Alex, 15; Chase, 9; and Morgan, 7.