Taking care of our own
The afternoon of day 3 left many of us in tears as we went through our stories of first deaths and tragic patient outcomes. It was clear as these stories came out that many of us were still hanging on to these painful memories and will probably do so for the remainder of our careers. Another common thread in these stories was the lack of support after these unforgettable events happened. In healthcare, we are expected to take a deep breath and move on with our days as if nothing ever happened. Take another history, make another diagnosis, speak to another family, all while making sure we check our emotions at the door.
Having care for the care giver is so laking at many of our home institutions. Sometimes all we need is to sit with someone for more than just a few minutes and talk about the emotional… Continue reading
Stopping by Woods on a Sunny Evening
What if we lived in a blame free world where everyone could openly admit to their mistakes? How would the world of health care be different if we took the time to learn from one anothers mistakes before we are doomed to inevidably repeat them?
Walking down a narrow dirt path along the water, I couldn’t help but feel dwarfed by the snow capped giants above me. Among these natural pillars of the earth, our time on this planet can feel smaller then a speck of dust. Thinking about the stories Lewis Blackman and Michael Skolnik, I began to think that in an average lifespan of 42,048,000 minutes (approximately 80 years), if we spent just a fraction of those minutes pausing to have open and honest crucial conversations with our patients, we can singlehandedly save dozens of lives over our careers before ever prescribing a medication or… Continue reading
What is the worst mistake you ever made?
Why are we still so afraid to come clean about the mistakes we make everyday. Why are we still so uncomfortable with human error even though it is an inevitable fact of life?