Physicians and nurses deal with the deepest issues of the
human condition – life and death. Our
profession brings new life into the world and does our best to bring comfort
and peace at the journey’s end. It is a
profound and emotional experience for medical professionals to be with a
patient and family when life ends.
There are other professions who routinely confront loss of
life. Law enforcement personnel,
paramedics, firefighters and soldiers all are exposed to events that most of us
would never wish to experience.
The medical profession and society is struggling to preserve our humanity in a 'cut & paste' world where one's worth is determined by the quantity of twitter followers.
Hugging a child. There's no 'app' for this.
On my very first day of medical internship in Pittsburgh, I
was called by a nurse to pronounce a patient dead. I had never seen the patient before. The only deceased individual that I had any
close contact with was the cadaver we studied in medical school. I entered the room and did not know what I
was supposed to do, never have been given any training or guidance on this
responsibility. I learned an important
lesson then. New interns know
nothing. Experienced nurses know a
lot. Ask for their help. An arrogant intern will be permitted to sink. The humble intern will be rescued.
This was an elderly patient from a nursing home and this
outcome was anticipated. The nurse
patiently guided me through the requisite steps. I performed this function multiple times
throughout my internship and residency, but the only actual memory of these
events is with that first patient on my very first day. It imprinted upon me, much as the first day
that I was introduced to the cadaver as a first year medical student in anatomy
class.
Being present with patients and families at profound moments
is a privilege and a responsibility. As
we are all suffocating from dehumanizing technology in every sphere of our
lives, there are experiences still that cry out for our humanity. If you or someone you loved was facing
difficult medical choices, who would you want in the room with you? A physician, who might deliver wisdom and
compassion or Alexa?
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