I consciously seek opportunities to practice the values that encompass humanism. During each of my rotations, I would visit my patients on my breaks to check on them, especially if their families were unable to be with them in the hospital. I would simply ask if there was anything I could do for them. Interestingly, many of my patients wanted to talk, though not about their disease states, for that had been the topic of conversation with every nurse and doctor that had stepped into the room. My patients would tell me about their lives, books they had read, and would want to talk about sports, especially baseball!
During my medicine rotation I befriended a pateint who had suffered several TIAs. She was a very sweet elderly lady but very concerned and confused. She told me she did not know what was wrong with her and that even though the doctors told her in plain language, she remained perplexed. I visited her every day for the following seven days and in that time she told about her family, and eventually I got to meet and know her family as well. On the seventh day of her admission she was diagnosed with basilar artery stenosis. The stroke team rounded that morning and I happened to be in the room when they were going to explain her options. She called my name and asked me to sit next to her; with great effort she lifted her hand and placed it on top of mine. Unfortunately, her options made decision making very difficult and the family asked to speak with me separately after the doctors had left. Even then she continued to hold my hand. I tried as best as I could to answer her and her family's questions and concerns, though I explained that I was still a medical student. I felt honored that the patient and her family trusted me to that extent.
I feel that because I was able to build a relationship with my patient and her family that involved integrity, respect, altruism, and empathy, I was able to connect successfully and help during a very difficult time. My interactions with my patients have taught me how to become a better future physicians.
UICOM-P Medical Student (who asks to remain anonymous)
