As physicians, we are foundations for our patients. We become sources of strength and emotional security for them, in trying times. We do more than fix others back to health (spotting signs of illness, giving diagnoses, drugs or treatment). We must understand the concerns of those we help and be there for our patients—through pain and sorrow. ================ In short, the practice of medicine requires we become always better caregivers—and always better people, in turn. This is what my experiences in shadowing and volunteering have taught me—and it is a truth I take to heart. ================ I was first exposed to medicine while physician shadowing in grad school. I shadowed Dr. Isaac Kim, aurologist at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. …show more content…
I wanted the challenge of being a docotor; and I wanted to have a meaningful impact in others’ lives, as well. Dr. Kim was the first of many along my career path who inspired me, this way. As such my shadowing of Dr. Kim was, for me, my entrance into the field of medicine. I was on the path I wanted to walk. ================ There would be challenges, for sure. But I was ready. I was ready to learn and do whatever I had to to ensure I was a foundation for others. ================ Then came my first challenge: working for a hospice. Here is where I learned harsh realities that no schooling could prepare me for. The hospice was difficult for me, at first. It was hard to speak with patients suffering from memory loss, dementia, anxiety, depression, or other disordes. It was hard to experience death on a regular basis; the death of patients that I interacted with and started to befriend. I had to learn to keep a fixed, professional demeanor to mask my sorrows (for my displays of sadness could affect the other patients). I had to foster a personal, caring commttment toward the patients—without becoming too personally attached, myself. …show more content…
Every time I walk past room 215 I’m reminded of what happened that day, so early in my career. ================ I had just walked into Annie’s room to find her screaming in pain. I ran to find the supervising nurse and rushed back to comfort Annie. Shortly after, the nurse came, fed Annie her medications, and walked out. Not a word was said. But I knew Annie was afraid, confused, upset; managing deep pain in her body. I knew she did not want to be alone, so I stayed beside her for a while, holding her hand until she fell asleep, telling her she would be okay. ================ For a few days after she seemed recovered, happy to see me and her mood was livened. But the following week, I passed by Annie’s room again. ================ Suddenly her bed was empty. Her room was empty. The nametag on her door was gone. Annie slept most of the weekend and, one day, just didn’t wake up. She was gone. I was shattered. ================ I wished I could have helped her more, if just to better her last moments on Earth. With all my hours in clinical shadowing or volunteering, with all my coursework as a graduate student in biomedical engineering—I was not preparred for this. I was not ready to cope with the sense of powerlessness I felt that day.
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Show MoreFlorence is in her headquarters at the hospital, she works at. She is writing a letter to a patient's mother. When all of a sudden, Mary, a fellow nurse, walks in. Mary and Florence talk about how nice it is to work with each other and how happy Mary is here. Mary quotes, “ I’m glad I’m here with you Miss Nightengale. Good Night.” at the end of their discussion.Also, they talk about how both of their families don’t really want them there. They talk for a little and Florence seems very at home and happy. Later, after Mary had left, two gentlemen come to talk to Florence. It is Dr. Goodale and Dr. Hall that have come to speak with her. After talking for a while they both leave and let Florence to her work. In the hospital, Florence seemed like an entire new person, she was much more
On February 14th I spent a day doing something I never thought I would do in a million years, I went to hospice. I always thought I would hate hospice, but I actually didn’t mind it too much, it isn’t a job I see myself doing in the future but it is a job that I understand why people do it and why they enjoy it. During this observation I was touched by how much these nurses really seem to care for each of the patients that they have.
1. Please briefly share the influences on your decision to pursue the field of medicine, including shadowing experiences and other medical related activities.
My affinity for biology comes from my childhood days that I spent watching dissection of rats and looking at the cellular structure under microscope. My mother, being a professor of biology regularly used to take me with her to a Biology lab and that is where my journey towards medical career began. Early on in my life, my family went through a long agony of my father's illness and death. This became a solitary stimulus for me to take up this profession and a driving force to strive for excellence. Going through that turmoil of recurrent hospital visits gave me a firsthand experience of an anguishing family.
...forming bench research at Barry University and Weill Cornell Medical College in the Traveler’s Research Fellowship, I have been exposed to the side of medicine where scientists work every day to find cures for diseases and save lives. Experiencing different aspects of medicine has made me a more competent individual to thrive in this field and has deepened my interest and passion to pursue medicine as a career.I believe that those who fight with so little against so much truly need others to help them in their struggle. Being a physician is not only becoming a successful professional. I will work hard to bring about necessary changes to end social disparities, so that more groups in society receive the best healthcare. By making a difference in their lives, I will receive rewarding experiences that are worth all the hard work and sacrifice my chosen career requires.
It was a crisp October morning, and Jocelyn had just arrived at the Anderson’s home to find Adrienne screaming for help. Racing over, Jocelyn began to dig through her bag and grab her cell phone. She called 9-1-1, and the ambulance came shortly after. Joseph was gasping for air and his eyes were rolled back into his head. Jocelyn had no idea what to do to keep him alive, and all over her face was utter panic. It was like she couldn’t remember
...epersonalized. Although not every patient is easy to deal with and doctors are under colossal pressure, by inspiring students with a possible future in the medical field to get involved with type of community service early we can ameliorate the distressing situation. Coming into contact with, speaking to, and intimately understanding these incredible individuals can dramatically alter one’s perspective and ensure treatment with self respect and dignity. I strongly believe in this notion of early involvement. My changed view coupled with my future medical training in college will allow me to be a figure to emulate and hopefully inspire others to follow this path. By embarking on this monumental journey mankind has the opportunity to shape history and enrich the lives of others while personally experiencing the most rewarding of all endeavors: helping someone in need.
Then she said the words and I broke, “Are you alright?” Her face a portrait of concern, the bedroom somehow exploding, then everything snapped. I sagged onto the tiles, every vestige of strength sapped from my watery muscles. My lungs began shallowly pumping air. Distantly I watched Tracy edge across the floor, wary and concerned. Some detached part of me noticed that she’d slept in her uniform again, why hadn’t I noticed that? She rested her hand gently upon my shaking shoulder and knelt.
My first encounter with hospice was on the receiving end and I remember asking the hospice nurse that first day, “How can you do this every day?” I will never forget her answer, “Hospice is not about dying, it’s about affirming life, helping people live their last days to the fullest.” During the next several months, I began to understand how true her words were. Today, as a volunteer, those words echo in my mind each time I’m about to meet a new patient.
In other words, knowing the person behind the disease and hearing their stories, makes the provision of care more personal. One of the residents was a teacher, another was a soldier, and there was once a politician; all worked for the betterment of others. Similarly, it is our task as nurses to affect a difference in the patient’s and their loved one’s lives. Nurses provide comfort and alleviate suffering, not just dealing with the physiological and psychological pain, but also, more importantly, the emotional torment. Although there is no treatment to stop or reverse the progression of their debilitating disease, knowing that the care I rendered provided relief for the patient, even only for that moment, accorded a bit of gratification. The greatest lesson learned during the clinical rotations are not the clinical skills or knowledge of the process, but rather, the ability to emotionally connect with the patient and being able to reflect on those
I shadowed a primary care physician (PCP), a cardiologist, and a General surgeon in Little Rock. I was introduced to triaging, monitoring patient diets, and transitioning from diagnosis to treatment. These experiences exposed me to some of the immense responsibilities of doctors. Through my experience shadowing Dr. Richard Jackson, I learned the necessity of compassion in a physician and that it is as important as medical procedures. I observed him putting a colostomy bag on a seven-year-old girl diagnosed with colon cancer. When she recovered from surgery, he noticed she was sad and scared about the colostomy bag. He comforted her by telling stories of many other children who also had colostomy bags at a young age and finished his conversation by making funny faces at her. This made her happy and her smile expressed joy and the beauty of being alive. It taught me that a patient’s emotional health is as important as their physical health, and both factors need to be considered when providing care. This shadowing experience enabled me to see what it is like to be as a practicing physician and further reinforced my desire to be a
When I saw how much the Alzheimer patient’s daughter appreciate my care for her mother by treating my patient as I was treating someone I loved, I felt like I am working toward my goal of being a professional nurse; I can put aside my personal feeling and act professional according to what I learned in nursing school. This is the first time I took care of a patient that has Alzheimer, I didn’t know what can I do to make a difference in her life at the beginning. But by applying my learned experiences from the nursing school and by being myself, I actually achieve the goal of providing the best care as a professional nurse student to my patient. And my actions also lead to the satisfaction and happiness from her family. Nothing can make me feel more satisfied when I saw the appreciation from the patient and their family. This is the main reason I wanted to become a professional
The phrase, “treat others as you would want to be treated” has maintained a constant presence throughout my life. This is my mother’s golden rule and, in my opinion, no other sentence is more vital to social interactions. Likewise, I cannot think of a better reason to pursue medicine than caring for others with the same passion one cares for themselves, or their family. In fact, motivation for attending medical school originally resulted from my family and an early appreciation of preventative medicine.
When she entered her bedroom, and her back hit the wonderful soft bed, she mentally groaned. Why couldn’t she just stay in her bed all day long? She learned from this whole experience that you have to be careful with everybody. Be careful with what you say and or think. She did let out a noise the emitted from her throat. Which was a laugh. Her 3 children, 2 girls and a boy older than the 2 girls jumped on the bed. Craving for their mothers attention. After all that happened throughout the whole day, it wouldn’t hurt to give them a little attention? So that’s how her day began and
...the living room. No one there. I climbed the other staircase leading to the top floor. I peaked into a room. Mom was sitting in a rocking chair. “Mom!” I yelled. “What?” She groaned. “I found this in the dining room.” I handed her the letter. Mom carefully looked the letter over. “I don’t know what to do with it. Go show it to your father. And! One more thing I want you to do.” Mom said as she handed me the letter back. “Finish getting the bags out of the van.” I sighed and walked out into the hall. I ran down the stairs and tripped on my toe. I stumbled down the stairs and started to fall. When I hit my head on the coffee table, Lilly picked me up. Michelle was standing right next to Lilly. “I saw you falling down the stairs,” said Lilly. “I told Michelle.” “Why can’t you just leave me out of this!?” Michelle screamed. Lilly glanced towards the floor. I jumped up.