Ethics Reflection Paper In Shock by Dr. Rana Awdish is an autobiography detailing the transition from physician to patient and the impact that it had on her worldview and practice. Phrases once deemed harmless bore the weight of the world once she was the person in the hospital bed. Her wishes were dismissed on multiple accounts. Medical errors are made time and time again. She deems the shift in perspective as the missing piece in her medical education. She began to see the person rather than the condition. Conditions are laid out simply in education – name of the condition, normal physiology, pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, physical exam findings, labs, complications, then treatment. In more ways than one, it is often black and white.
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Dr. Awdish addresses the implications of how medicine is taught in multiple ways in her book. The example that struck me the most was during her initial admission, where an OB resident performed an ultrasound to check on her baby. She told him that her baby had died and rather than expressing condolences, he asked her to show him how she knew. He neglected to care for her because he focused solely on her miscarriage. The resident only saw her in a condition. Later in her book, she contrasts that experience with a different scenario. She is once again in the hospital as a patient, this time, a nurse practitioner (NP) comes in to see her. She states that the NP said that she knew a bit about her medical history but would like to hear how it has affected her in her own words. At one point Dr. Awdish began saying that she was “ok” with losing the baby, to which the NP had said that “it’s not ok.” She states that the NP was humble and exhibited knowledge all at once, that their encounter had then led her to trust that she was in good …show more content…
She had been seen in her entirety. Throughout the book, I found myself reflecting on my own experiences. I had an orthodontist who told me that my smile needed to be fixed in contrast to a doctor who phrased it as, “our concern is your bite pattern, if you want to straighten the alignment of your teeth, we could do that too, but you have a wonderful smile.” I thought back to my own diagnoses of OCD and how the psychiatrist told me “It’s surprising that you can think so abstractly” in contrast to my counselor who kindly told me “It can’t be fixed but we will figure out what to do together” when I had to fix it. I cannot grasp the magnitude of Dr. Awdish’s experience, but I can understand how impactful a provider’s response can be. Focusing on a patient as a person provides an arguably better experience for the patient. My hope as a student is that I never lose sight of the patient as a person. Care given without empathy is lacking at minimum and neglectful at worst. Dismissal of the subjective is another theme throughout her medical
Dr. Awdish addresses the implications of how medicine is taught in multiple ways in her book. The example that struck me the most was during her initial admission, where an OB resident performed an ultrasound to check on her baby. She told him that her baby had died and rather than expressing condolences, he asked her to show him how she knew. He neglected to care for her because he focused solely on her miscarriage. The resident only saw her in a condition. Later in her book, she contrasts that experience with a different scenario. She is once again in the hospital as a patient, this time, a nurse practitioner (NP) comes in to see her. She states that the NP said that she knew a bit about her medical history but would like to hear how it has affected her in her own words. At one point Dr. Awdish began saying that she was “ok” with losing the baby, to which the NP had said that “it’s not ok.” She states that the NP was humble and exhibited knowledge all at once, that their encounter had then led her to trust that she was in good …show more content…
She had been seen in her entirety. Throughout the book, I found myself reflecting on my own experiences. I had an orthodontist who told me that my smile needed to be fixed in contrast to a doctor who phrased it as, “our concern is your bite pattern, if you want to straighten the alignment of your teeth, we could do that too, but you have a wonderful smile.” I thought back to my own diagnoses of OCD and how the psychiatrist told me “It’s surprising that you can think so abstractly” in contrast to my counselor who kindly told me “It can’t be fixed but we will figure out what to do together” when I had to fix it. I cannot grasp the magnitude of Dr. Awdish’s experience, but I can understand how impactful a provider’s response can be. Focusing on a patient as a person provides an arguably better experience for the patient. My hope as a student is that I never lose sight of the patient as a person. Care given without empathy is lacking at minimum and neglectful at worst. Dismissal of the subjective is another theme throughout her medical