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In the 1991 film titled “The Doctor”, William Hurt portrays Dr. Jack MaKee, a cardiothoracic surgeon coming to terms with issues related to his newly diagnosed laryngeal cancer.
MaKee is presented in the film as a successful and well-respected doctor, quite adept at his surgical skills who, along with his colleagues, performs procedures on and glibly interacts with patients, referring to them as diagnoses rather than people. Jack’s relationships with his wife and son appear to have suffered due to Jack’s work schedule and time away from home. Jack’s wife seemingly has created a personal and professional existence devoid of Jack’s presence, while Jack’s son interacts only with his father via phone conversations. Though Jack lives in a beautiful home, providing amply for the basic needs of his family and himself, Jack’s life consists only of long and frequent workdays, with a history of family neglect on a personal level, complete with the repeated disregard of important events for both his wife and son.
Early in the film, we learn that MaKee has been experiencing symptoms related to an, as-yet, undiagnosed problem. Jack visits with an older, small-town physician and family friend who merely prescribes an antibiotic to treat MaKee’s symptoms. In the midst of a car-ride, following another forgotten event to support his wife’s personal and professional interests, Jack’s symptoms worsen, prompting him to seek a doctor with more experience and knowledge to diagnose his condition. Jack light-heartedly schedules an appointment with a specialist, recommended by his core group of friends and fellow physicians, not only because this person is competent, but an “attractive” female as well. MaKee’s mind-set and approach to the appointment...
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...k’s repeated writings of the words “I Need You” to his wife seem ethically and morally conflicting to Ann as, in the midst of all that has occurred between Jack and Ann, his message is so blatantly out of character for Jack’s communicative style. Initially, Jack’s choice of words may represent Jack’s true need for his wife’s help, as he is dependent on her because of his medical condition. It soon becomes clear that Jack’s verbiage represents his true emotions and, as Jack utters his first words to his wife following his surgery, the repair of Jack and Ann’s relationship truly begins.
“The Doctor” presented interesting and emotional concepts accurately representing the philosophies and behaviors of many medical professionals. Perhaps its viewing would be beneficial by members of our medical community, and provide a framework to the personalization of patient care.
The medical values learned in chapter 11 are, emotional detachment, professional socialization, clinical experience, mastering uncertainty, mechanistic model, intervention, and emphasis on acute and rare illnesses. The three that I mainly care about are, emotional detachment, mastering uncertainty, and clinical experience. Emotional detachment is a very important medical value because this can strongly affect not only the patient but the doctor as well. The doctor is supposed to sustain emotional detachment from patients. (Weitz 276). A doctor should try and keep their distance because their emotion can strongly affect the patient. How a doctor reacts or approaches a situation will show how they are with emotional detachment. Mastering
It was interesting that initially Selzer claimed that the “poet is the only true doctor” however, later on he says that writing about doctors “must be done by
In her personal essay, Dr. Grant writes that she learned that most cases involving her patients should not be only handled from a doctor’s point of view but also from personal experience that can help her relate to each patient regardless of their background; Dr. Grant was taught this lesson when she came face to face with a unique patient. Throughout her essay, Dr. Grant writes about how she came to contact with a patient she had nicknamed Mr. G. According to Dr. Grant, “Mr. G is the personification of the irate, belligerent patient that you always dread dealing with because he is usually implacable” (181). It is evident that Dr. Grant lets her position as a doctor greatly impact her judgement placed on her patients, this is supported as she nicknamed the current patient Mr.G . To deal with Mr. G, Dr. Grant resorts to using all the skills she
After smoking, or consuming marijuana, it is distributed in the brain. The concentration of marijuana in the brain may be governed by an active transport process in the choroid plexus network of blood vessels in the brain which regulates intraventricular pressure by absorption and secretion of cerebro spinal fluid. one scientific experiment it gave an example of how the distribution of marijuana in the central nervous system could effect man. At a high dose of 30 mg./kg. marked sedation and pronounced motor incoordination peaked at the one hour interval subsiding in 8 hours when over reaction occurred to external stimuli; man reveals incapacitation of cognitive and motor function. High concentrations of marijuana are usually found in the following parts of the brain: the frontal cortex (the general association area), and hippocampus (short term memory and oreintation). As a result, perception of time, mood and general cordination is impaired. It is apparent that marijuana intoxication effects the neurological functions and usually disappears in 24 hours, but can become a permanent malfunction.THC effec...
This requires respect and compassion and prioritizing their comfort and values. I believe that as future physicians, we must be open to the different identities and perspectives of each individual in order to try to understand their beliefs and concerns. This level of empathy allows us to connect with patients on a deeper level and treat them with better quality care. Given this, I was immediately drawn to Georgetown’s Literature and Medicine program. Having taken a similarly named course during my undergraduate career, I recognize how literature, fiction or non-fiction, can create a compelling narrative that draws us into the mind of the writer and the characters. Medically related narratives raise issues that we will be confronted with later on in our careers, such as the respective responsibilities of the patient and physician, the role of medical ethics, and the value of compassion and empathy. This program will help me to become a more reflective and empathetic individual that places the beliefs and comfort of the patient at the forefront of my professional practice, and can competently cater to the needs of a diverse
Jamison describes another medical figure in her life that she referred to as Dr. M. Dr. M was Jamison’s primary cardiologist, a figure who is involved in some of the most intimate details of Jamison’s life. However, Jamison describes Dr. M by saying she, “…wasn’t personal at all” (14). Dr. M would actually record personal information about Jamison on a tape recorder, however, Jamison would hear Dr. M referring to her as “patient” instead of by her name. This example demonstrates that Dr. M was indeed putting in the minimal effort needed to keep her clients, however, no additional effort was put into the process of learning about her patients. Jamison says that, “…the methods of her mechanics [were] palpable between us…” (18). Dr. M would not even put any effort into disguising her lack of interest of getting to know Jamison. This atmosphere of apathy that is exuded by Dr. M naturally causes Jamison to retract from Dr. M, which creates an environment that is not good for cultivating
Doctors are well respected within the realm of American society and are perceived with the highest regard as a profession. According to Gallup’s Honesty and Ethics in Profession polls, 67% of respondents believe that “the honesty and ethical standards” of medical doctors were “very high.” Furthermore, 88% of respondents polled by Harris Polls considered doctors to either “hold some” or a “great deal of prestige”. Consequently, these overwhelmingly positive views of the medical profession insinuate a myth of infallibility that envelops the physicians and the science they practice. Atul Gawande, in Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, provides an extensive view of the medical profession from both sides of the operating table
Throughout Jack’s entire life, his mother was never really there for him or his family, she was always in Europe to buy the latest fashions. On the other hand Jack’s father was there all time. When Jack was twelve, his father bought a large summerhouse in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Ja...
In the medical community there appears to be a divide between disease-centered care and patient-centered care. Both Charon and Garden, readily acknowledge this. Charon explains how although doctors can boast in their “impressive technical progress,” and “their ability to eradicate once fatal infections,” doctors often lack the abilities to recognize the pain of their patients and to extend empathy (3). Charon further adds that “medicine practiced without a genuine and obligating awareness of what patients go through [empathy] may fulfill its technical goals, but it is an empty medicine, or, at best, half a medicine” (5). Often, doctors fail to remember that their patients are more than just a person with cancer or a congenital heart defect — they are human, a whole person with dreams, aspirations, and fears. According to Charon, “scientifically competent medicine alone cannot help a patient grapple w...
In this passage, Jack is doing his nightly routine of saying goodnight to different objects in Room that are important to him. He is taught, through the choice of his Ma,...
Drugs have largely been viewed with fear and disgust by society, and rightly so. Certain drugs do horrible things to people. They can make one lose their self control, see things that aren’t there, damage the mind, deteriorate the body, and cause a dependency in the user that utterly consumes them. But while this is the case for many drugs, it is in no way universal. This is the case of Marijuana, which has long been subject to the same treatment as other, illegal, drugs and, despite it’s many benefits, is currently illegal in The Greater United States. Marijuana is not only less dangerous than other drugs, legal or otherwise, but provides many medical benefits. And yet, someone in The United States found using or possessing the substance can face harsh jail time. Marijuana should be legalized because it would provide medical benefits, help the economy, and it is no more harmful than other legal substances.
As the story begins, the unnamed doctor is introduced as one who appears to be strictly professional. “Aas often, in such cases, they weren’t telling me more than they had to, it was up to me to tell them; that’s why they were spending three dollars on me.” (par. 3) The doctor leaves the first impression that he is one that keeps his attention about the job and nothing out of the ordinary besides stating his impressions on the mother, father and the patient, Mathilda. Though he does manage to note that Mathilda has a fever. The doctor takes what he considers a “trial shot” and “point of departure” by inquiring what he suspects is a sore throat (par. 6). This point in the story, nothing remains out of the ordinary or questionable about the doctor’s methods, until the story further develops.
Jack has no trouble weeping in these strangers’ arms until he meets another phony, Marla, a support-group “tourist” and a reflection of himself that he finds objectionable. She claims to like the emotional workout of being with these people, which is “cheaper than a movie.” However, when Marla abruptly begins to attend all the meetings he is attending. He becomes irritated by her presence because she is a fraud too and doesn’t belong in his grandfallon. Her company reminds him that he is impostor and he doesn’t like that. They workout a deal where they split the days up between them. She gets the breast cancer and emphysema group while he takes the testicu...
American medicine in the late 20th century seems considerably less romantic. Protocols and seven-minute patient visits are supposed to leave physicians tracking blood pressure readings and calibrating Prozac prescriptions. There's no time for wisdom in an HMO, or so the wiser and more ancient of current physicians lament. So it was with certain trepidation that I spent a day last December in an internist's office.
The physician inquires about how the patient is and begins the process of finding out what is wrong with the patient. The first thing that the doctor does is to put the patient at ease and to make them as comfortable as possible. The physician should begin the conversation with an open – ended question, such as, “How are you feeling”. The physician then encourages the patient to mention all of the ailments that they are experiencing. This is when the physician can learn the most about the patient’s personality and environmental influences. It is important for the doctor to be attentive and take good notes. The doctor explores in great detail the time of the ailments and the severity. The physician inquires about the patient’s past health and any family history that is of relevance. The physician then checks the accuracy of all the data and details collected to date and informs the patient of the next step in the process, the diagnosis. It is important that the patient does most of the talking throughout the interview, so that the doctor can elicit all...