Mother Teresa is one of my favorite icons of all times and stated “Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.”  She definitely nailed it to the core because, in order for us to be transparent, we must be honest which is not an easy task at times and makes us very vulnerable.  I feel that my patient should know about the care he/she should be getting, the seriousness of his/her condition, and the symptoms that would require immediate attention from the physicians.  I believe transparency is a very important aspect which we forget at times.  As much as I describe myself “realistic” and “open and honest,” I ponder with the thought am I truly forthcoming, open and honest?  Should I be just vulnerable at the most difficult times anyways?

On a happy note, I truly enjoyed the hiking today, though was… Continue reading →

Among all the numerous significant themes and discussions, a very simple sentence that resonant “words matter.”  One of my professor from Medical School always mentioned that not only what you say matters but how do you put the sentence together make a world of a difference to the patients and the families.  Always be cognizant and mindful of your works and your actions.  We, as young providers and future leaders, must be the examples within our organizations of change.  This was an especially key takeaway for me, and I hope to bring this back to NY to teach some of these powerful lessons to my fellow classmates.

 

 

“What is the worst thing this could be” – something we tend to forget when it comes to patient care.   The film on Lewis Blackman was extremely powerful and heartbreaking for me; very grateful that Helen came out to share her story though it is very tragic (I do not think I would have been able to if I were her).   The story brought us some really significant points of patient safety.  It is very crucial to have effective communication with the team members including the family members.  We always have to be aware that the family members, for the most part, know the patient quite well, therefore, collateral information is always helpful.  Poor communication and coordination struck me the most since the nurses, residents and the attending all assumed that Lewis was “fine” and most probably the family was overly concerned. … Continue reading →