For me, today revolved around humanism and our basic human needs and vulnerabilities. Humanism and medicine is defined by the Gold Foundation as being “a respectful and compassionate relationship between physicians, as well as all other members of the healthcare team, and their patients. It reflects attitudes and behaviors that are sensitive to the values and the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of others.”

We investigated Caring for the Caregiver, which focuses on that compassionate relationship between the members of the team. We saw an incredible video of a discussion between two physicians following a medical error with a terribly catastrophic outcome for the patient and the emotional response of the physician.

Then we learned about stories, something that are uniquely human, and how they are an important part of medicine. Understanding the story of the patient, having that human connection will make us better doctors. I have been fortunate to… Continue reading →

The session on EMRs was quite interesting today, it was both validating. frustrating and terrifying to have the concerns I had acknowledged and then to learn so many concerns. So much time, money and energy spent on a system that is just not effective at doing what we need it to do. What is also frustrating to me is that not only is this system not doing what we need it to do, but it is also pulling us away from the bedside and plopping us into dictation rooms and work stations. As Dr. Verghese once described, we are taking care of “iPatients” and “chartomas.” Getting further away from the patient and deeper behind the screens makes us more prone to errors, as we are spending less time taking care of the patient at the bedside and more time taking care of the chart. We aren’t building the relationships with… Continue reading →

As I sat and listened throughout the day it seemed like all of my classmates shared their thoughts and experiences. It was interesting to hear so many perspectives and I realized that throughout all of my medical education thus far, I’ve not heard nearly this much from my nursing colleagues. In the first few years we occasionally sit next to other students from other health professions. It seems like a balance between a good attempt and some sort of accreditation requirement, but at that point none of us have any experiences to share. I really enjoyed hearing the thoughts and perspectives of my nursing colleagues.

An attending I was working with recently described different perspectives of the same thing as people in a dozen rowboats encircled around the statue of liberty. Each with a camera and taking a photo. The perspective that each one has is unique, how they use… Continue reading →