Monday, August 10, 2009
Empathy
I just wanted to mention something I observed today about some of the staff in the ER. I overheard several staff members talking about a couple of patients that had died recently. Frankly, I was a little disturbed at how callous some of them seemed to be. I suppose that might be a defense mechanism or something. If you let every death give you trouble then you would be miserable working in the ER. Whatever the cause or reason, I never want to be like that. I don't want to become desensitized to someone else's pain. I hope I never do.
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I've had a similar experience at the hospital that I volunteer in except that I know that it wasn't a defense mechanism. Two ER nurses were not only blatantly calling a homeless man insulting names, but they were also telling everyone that he had STDs & other infections, which I thought was breaking patient confidentiality. Absolutely shattered my naive idea that everyone in health care was reputable. But that experience reinforced my desire to be as human as possible when I (hopefully) become a doctor. Anyway, good luck with your studies!
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across this and figured I'd chime in. I am also a pre-med student at UCSD, but more pertinently, I have been working in Level 1 trauma centers for nearly 8 years. I don't know what area of medicine you plan on practicing in, but unless it is Podiatry or something equally mundane, the management of your emotions will be crucial to your survival and efficacy as a physician. Whether you like it or not, some level of desensitization must take place or you will become an emotional wreck spending more time in therapy than in practice. I deal with death on a regular basis and yes, I am very calloused, but that does not mean I am insensitive to someone's pain. It is a fine line to walk. We all have compassion for the ill or injured (that's why we work in health care), but when a patient leaves us we must move on to the next.
ReplyDeletePardon me for being blunt, but you'll either learn to manage your emotions or you'll find a different field.
Good luck to you