Wednesday, November 17, 2004
A few thoughts...
Just a short entry...
I watched ER from last week, and was reminded of myself. No, I'm not the patient, but instead the physician.
I remember when I first entered nursing school - I was wide-eyed, open to everything. I always wondered about my patients: who are they, where are they from, what have they gone through in their life to get to here?
However, as time went by, and especially once I started working in the ED, I noticed myself caring less and less for my patients' story and succumbing more to the typical stereotypical point of view that so commonly grips medical personnel.
That is something that is so sad - that we, as medical professionals, become so desensitized to human suffering that Mr. Martinez (name made up) becomes "the lap chole in 507," or Mrs. Jones becomes the "uterine fibroids in 310."
I don't know exactly why it happens, but I have a theory. It goes a little something like this:
As human beings, we are emotional creatures. Our interactions (especially those of the depth required by a physician-patient relationship) require an emotional expenditure. With the number of patients we see in any day/week/month/year, the emotional drain would be enormous, so we (as medical professionals) try to limit our emotional expenditure by keeping a "professional distance."
Not to say this is good, but I think it is something of a psychological protection mechanism - to protect us from over-exerting ourselves.
Ok, I don't think I'm making any sense here... I'm quitting until I'm more rested. Thank goodness this surgery rotation from hell ends friday. ¶ 7:55 PM
I watched ER from last week, and was reminded of myself. No, I'm not the patient, but instead the physician.
I remember when I first entered nursing school - I was wide-eyed, open to everything. I always wondered about my patients: who are they, where are they from, what have they gone through in their life to get to here?
However, as time went by, and especially once I started working in the ED, I noticed myself caring less and less for my patients' story and succumbing more to the typical stereotypical point of view that so commonly grips medical personnel.
That is something that is so sad - that we, as medical professionals, become so desensitized to human suffering that Mr. Martinez (name made up) becomes "the lap chole in 507," or Mrs. Jones becomes the "uterine fibroids in 310."
I don't know exactly why it happens, but I have a theory. It goes a little something like this:
As human beings, we are emotional creatures. Our interactions (especially those of the depth required by a physician-patient relationship) require an emotional expenditure. With the number of patients we see in any day/week/month/year, the emotional drain would be enormous, so we (as medical professionals) try to limit our emotional expenditure by keeping a "professional distance."
Not to say this is good, but I think it is something of a psychological protection mechanism - to protect us from over-exerting ourselves.
Ok, I don't think I'm making any sense here... I'm quitting until I'm more rested. Thank goodness this surgery rotation from hell ends friday. ¶ 7:55 PM
