See One, Do One, Teach One

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Teaching is at the root of both the word doctor and of the practice of medicine, which involves a lifetime of both learning and teaching. We teach our patients, we teach each other, and, in the process, we teach ourselves. Medicine is a calling, and we take an oath to our patients and to each other that we will keep the tradition alive by mentoring and instructing the next generation of physicians. This spirit of mentorship is alive in the Direct Primary Care movement. Our oath demands that we take back the practice of medicine and assist our fellow physicians in doing the same because the only ethical way to practice medicine is to serve our patients directly.    

I went to my first DPC Summit in July 2016. I had been to my share of medical conferences before, and this wasn’t your average medical conference. For starters, everyone was smiling. Medical conferences are supposed to be serious. No smiling. No chatting. Only serious expressions, frantic note-taking, and self-congratulatory question-asking. Perhaps one doctor knitting to enhance their focus on the material. The DPC Summit was like Disney World: a conference center full of beaming doctors hugging each other, greeting old friends, and making new ones while attending inspirational talks followed by standing ovations. 

Two DPC veterans left their mark on me at this first Summit. I met Dr. Vance Lassey just outside the lecture hall where he was preaching to a crowd of the DPC curious. When the next lecture began, and the crowd dispersed, I cornered him and demanded to know his client billing price for every single lab test I could think of while furiously writing them down. He graciously tolerated my barrage of questions, and his enthusiasm for DPC was contagious. In fact, everyone’s enthusiasm was contagious. This DPC Summit was a super spreader event for DPC. Dr. Julie Gunther delivered a passionate talk on DPC as the finale of the Summit, which lit a fire inside me. She stayed in that lecture hall for hours after the conference ended answering questions from a large lingering crowd of hopeful future DPC physicians. It was a spontaneous DPC Mastermind. I will be forever grateful to both Dr. Lassey and Dr. Gunther for their mentorship.

I attended three more DPC conferences prior to opening my own DPC practice in October 2018, and since then, I have attended nine more, including six DPC Summits, presenting at the 2024 Summit and helping to plan the 2025 Summit. I will be hosting a DPCA Mastermind in Chesapeake, Virginia this month. I have received so much from the DPC community, and this is my time to give back. Occasionally, I hear complaints that the DPCA isn’t doing enough. If you have ideas, join some committees, run for the board. To paraphrase JFK, ask not what DPC can do for you; ask what you can do to further the Direct Primary Care movement. See DPC. Do DPC. Teach DPC.

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About Emily O'Rourke, MD

Dr. Emily O'Rourke started Fountain Direct Primary Care, the very first DPC practice in Hampton Roads, Virginia, in October 2018. She enjoys working with her patients on individualized treatment plans, including lifestyle modification, in order to transform their physical and mental health and help them achieve their goals and live more fulfilling lives. She also serves as an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner and performs Veteran Disability Examinations. Dr. O'Rourke was born and raised in the state of Nebraska, and she graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She completed her medical education at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2010. She served as Chief Resident during her final year of the Eastern Virginia Medical School Portsmouth Family Medicine residency program. Dr. O'Rourke is Board Certified in Family Medicine through both the American Board of Family Medicine and the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. O'Rourke lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with her husband, Jimmy, and their two sons, Logan and Jackson. She practices yoga regularly and enjoys creative pursuits, including crocheting and playing the cello.