I’m not sure what was more shocking at the moment: the news that a grape-sized tumor was found during a routine surgery, or how I reacted to it. Terror radiated through my body, but my unfamiliarity with the situation left me speechless. At the time, I was one year into college, had volunteered in hospitals and held meaningful interactions with many patients, but I often found it difficult to empathize with them during their struggles. Over the course of my ensuing treatment, I began to grasp what many of these people felt. It wasn’t the physical nature of the ailment that weighed me down, but rather the subtleties that accompanied the illness - the impact on my family, the financial burden, and the uncertainty of my own future. Standing toe-to-toe
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I explicitly recall being astonished by the proposal of surgery. However, this worry was met with compassion and knowledge of the team of physicians working with me. When confronted with the news that surgery was required treatment, the surgeon gave a succinct explanation of the purpose of every incision, how I would recover, and reassurance that I would have help at every stage of care. In this instance, I grew an appreciation for the multifaceted method taken by physicians, approaching each case as a caretaker, a teacher, and a scientist to tailor care to each patient. This realization pushed me to develop these skills through my undergraduate …show more content…
Rather, there exists a coupling of science with humanities that make the profession unique. Helping others navigate through difficult situations is an essential tool in the physician’s repertoire. Through my roles as a clinical volunteer and mentor, I believe that I have begun to gain a foothold of this vital skill. By volunteering at a local hospital, I was exposed to a diverse population of patients. I found that in the case of an old woman and young boy alike, compassion and care served as a complement to medication. This held especially true in the case of one particular patient, a boy with leukemia who had been through many rounds of chemo but wanted nothing more than to be removed from the hospital setting. One afternoon we played games and solved puzzles with one another, and I saw a glimmer of happiness. His resulting smile highlighted the necessity of interpersonal care in the treatment of
I explicitly recall being astonished by the proposal of surgery. However, this worry was met with compassion and knowledge of the team of physicians working with me. When confronted with the news that surgery was required treatment, the surgeon gave a succinct explanation of the purpose of every incision, how I would recover, and reassurance that I would have help at every stage of care. In this instance, I grew an appreciation for the multifaceted method taken by physicians, approaching each case as a caretaker, a teacher, and a scientist to tailor care to each patient. This realization pushed me to develop these skills through my undergraduate …show more content…
Rather, there exists a coupling of science with humanities that make the profession unique. Helping others navigate through difficult situations is an essential tool in the physician’s repertoire. Through my roles as a clinical volunteer and mentor, I believe that I have begun to gain a foothold of this vital skill. By volunteering at a local hospital, I was exposed to a diverse population of patients. I found that in the case of an old woman and young boy alike, compassion and care served as a complement to medication. This held especially true in the case of one particular patient, a boy with leukemia who had been through many rounds of chemo but wanted nothing more than to be removed from the hospital setting. One afternoon we played games and solved puzzles with one another, and I saw a glimmer of happiness. His resulting smile highlighted the necessity of interpersonal care in the treatment of