Taking time to show compassion

On an ICU rotation an elderly women was admitted and in serious condition. She had a very supportive family visiting at her side and on morning rounds the ICU team discussed that she was critically ill and there was a risk of her not surviving her stay in the hospital  They voiced understanding and we moved on with rounds but about 20 minutes later a daughter of the patient came out of the room hysterical, calling out for a doctor to help her mother. Watching her mother struggle to breathe was too much for her despite our discussions that there was nothing else we could do at the time. Ancillary staff attempted to sit her down but she wasn't listening, attempting to force her way past them to find our rounding team. Without a second thought - Yasmin Ali, a neurology intern on the MICU team, took herself out of rounds and spent over a half hour consoling and educating the daughter.  This allowed ICU team and ancillary staff to return to their duties and brought calm to the unit but cut into the time she had to get her own work done, and time for a busy intern is a rare commodity. Though many people enter medicine hoping for these personal interactions, the day-to-day red tape of medicine hurries us through the day, forbidding this use of our time. It's refreshing to see an a physician, in her intern year no less, taking the time to show compassion and guiding a family member through a terribly stressful time.

And to make this all the more impressive, this was not even her patient. 

Ryan Gore

M4 Medical Student