As an American doctor educated in Chicago, I didn’t know what to expect when my husband, Manolis, and I decided two years ago to return to his native land, Crete, after a 28-year absence. I went to medical school in Chicago, and set up my private practice in the Chicago suburbs. As a GP, I did everything from delivering babies, to treating the elderly…and everything in between.

However, I made the decision to work side by side with "those Greek doctors." I say that tongue in cheek, because the reaction of my friends and colleagues back home came with mixed reviews. Some were excited and others apprehensive and concerned because of the stories they have heard about "those Greek doctors."

When I first started at the Cretan Medicare in Hersonissos, I kept an open mind and just stood back and observed. The first few days were a bit of a shock because of the informality and "bedside manner" of the medical atmosphere. My only point of reference is the more formal environment of medicine in the US. That soon faded because facades are just that…facades…and they are not the true story.

These doctors I work side by side with six days a week are truly heroes. I had no idea how many years and sacrifices they go through to practice the profession they love. In the US, it took me 12 years of advanced education to finish my medical degree and specialty. So in the states most doctors are practicing medicine and moving forward with their lives while still in their early 30s. Here, it is at least a 20-year journey before a doctor’s life begins…putting them in their 40s when they are finally finished with their education. I question whether I would have answered the Inner Calling for medicine had I lived in Greece at the time. This system would discourage most US doctors from the start. Yet, these brave men and women dedicate their lives to practice this great profession, knowing that they will have to sacrifice over half of their lives to get there... a noble endeavor, by most people's standards.

There is an art to practicing medicine as well as a science. All of us worldwide learn the science part, but it is the art of medicine that varies from doctor to doctor. How we learn to listen to patients with all of our senses, and not just our brains, is paramount to learning how to diagnose. These doctors don't just practice good medicine...they practice great medicine. I have seen them diagnose patients with such skill and precision that, I know, my former colleagues in Chicago would be equally impressed. I am not talking about things like the common cold, I am talking about such rare diseases and illnesses that average doctors may take weeks to diagnose, or even miss the diagnosis completely.

I have seen these doctors pick up abnormalities like brain hemorrhages, heart and brain tumors, infections in weird places, even when the patient has very few, if any, symptoms. That is the true art of practicing medicine. Listening to not just what the patient tells you, but listening to what their body and physical exam tell you. I have seen orthopedics who pick up rare fractures or tendon abnormalities; cardiologists who listen to a patient's heart with the precision of a violinist; pediatricians who know when a child’s “simple sore throat” isn't a simple sore throat; internists and GPs who know when someone's heart is ready to stop beating; radiologists who "see" beyond an x-ray or ultrasound, and surgeons who can suture and repair wounded patients before they even realize what happened.

These are "those Greek doctors" I work with, and I am both honoured and privileged to be working with them. And I know they would all make Hippocrates very proud.