Monday, July 13, 2009

Missed the ER this week

I was sick over the weekend so I couldn't go into the ER today to help out. I did want to share something I watched last time I went and what I learned from it. I was walking back from the waiting room on my way to check on some patients when I suddenly heard a most terrible wail followed by intense sobbing. I looked over to see a woman (maybe in her twenties) sitting down and a hospital employee sitting across from her. The woman was trying hard to control herself but couldn't help but choke out intense tears. I didn't immediately know what was going on, and there wasn't much I could do to help. I soon found out that she had been awaiting her fathers transfer to the ER when she recieved news that he had unexpectadly passed away while in transit. I always kinda wondered what it would be like to have to tell someone terrible news. I thought that I might shy away from such a thing. But as I watched this poor woman struggle I couldn't help but want to reach out to her. Telling someone bad news might be hard, but doing it right could make a world of difference to someone. I now know that I'm not afraid of doing something like that because I know that I could make a difference and help someone get through something very difficult. It reminds me of a friend back east who had a miscarriage and said that a patient doctor who was willing to just sit with them for a time while he could have been off doing other things made a HUGE difference to her and her husband. That is the kind of doctor I want to be.

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