Author: Mark Vacker, M.D.

I “retired” from the practice of Family Medicine in 2007 after building an extremely successful Family Medicine practice in Broward County, Florida. What had attracted me to medicine was the thought of helping people to overcome illness and live a better quality of life. I found that as a Family Practitioner I had the opportunity to get to know people on a personal level and accomplish this. By establishing a therapeutic relationship with patients and their families, I was able to help them solve a myriad of problems utilizing a biopsychosocial approach. I found that learning how the patient functions and interacts with others in their environment, progressively building trust and understanding over time, and offering support and compassion were the building blocks necessary to provide high quality care that is rewarding and gratifying. I felt my most important accomplishments were the friendships and relationships that I established with my patients. These bonds clarified and provided insight into the many complex interacting factors that contributed to the symptomatology my patients were experiencing. Furthermore, it helped me to see how I could offer solutions that would help them live with their problems. I saw medicine undergo dramatic change during my years of practice. I had the foresight to adapt to, embrace, and prosper under the transition that occurred in the delivery of healthcare. Concurrent with running my private practice I served as Medical Director of the North Broward Hospital District’s out-patient “Family Health Place” primary care clinics. I am proud to say that I also had the privilege of serving as adjunct faculty in the Departments of Family Medicine at both The University of Miami and Nova Southeastern School of Osteopathic Medicine as an Assistant Professor. I instructed medical students and residents throughout the year as they rotated through my office.