Write about a time when you felt like a doctor
A writing prompt to reflect on what we do in medicine and why it matters
Hello friends! This month is a medical humanities post.
Why the medical humanities?
I teach medical humanities to Wake Forest medical students. One of the exercises we do is called reflective writing. How it works: You propose a prompt. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Then, write. The focus is not on the grammar or the writing; it’s the reflection, the introspection, the idea. After the 5 minutes are up, you go around and share your answers. This exercise forces you to think deeply. It’s also enlightening to hear other people’s experiences. This particular prompt comes from Dr. Koven’s book, Letter To A Young Physician.
I’ve used this prompt with my medical students. But I’ve also tried it with my Medical Humanities group. I’ve even tried it during downtime on the night shift at work. With everyone talking about ‘burnout’ and planning their exit from medicine, I think this is a helpful activity to reflect on what we do in medicine and why it matters.
In this post, I’ll share some of the responses from this exercise (which have been paraphrased and anonymized).
Write About a Time When You Felt Like A Doctor
One of the hardest things I do is take care of children with spinal muscular atrophy. This disease affects the motor neurons, so children can’t walk, eat, or breathe alone. Some people call it the ‘ALS of Pediatrics.’ Caring for these patients is heartbreaking; you feel that you can’t do much. Recently, a new medication came on the market. I’ll never forget the parents’ reaction when I gave this medication to their child—they saw a facial expression for the first time in 2.5 years. I had no role in developing this medicine; all I did was administer it. But I remember that feeling when the parents thanked me. –Pediatric Neurologist
I was asked to see a patient with metastatic cancer. His care had taken place at another hospital, so I was curious why he came to our hospital that day. Did he want a second opinion? Did he want to repeat all of the prior testing? But, as I started talking to him, I realized why he came here through his words. He didn’t want another round of treatment. He didn’t want to “keep fighting.” What he wanted was help dying. It felt good to be able to recognize this and be able to help him. -Palliative Care physician
There was this one patient who would come to the ER repeatedly. He was very aggressive and often yelled at the staff. None of the other nurses wanted to care for him when he checked in. Over time, I developed a rapport with him and would get assigned to care for him every time he came in. Eventually, we started joking with each other and developed a playful banter. It felt good to be known as the nurse who could handle this difficult patient (who was very sweet once you got to know him). –ER nurse
I had a young patient whom I first met in the inpatient psychiatric ward. She had been admitted to the hospital for suicidal thoughts. I started taking care of her and met her regularly. After two years, she told me that she had gotten engaged. I remember noticing the color in her cheeks had come back. I was happy to have had a role in this. -Psychiatrist
I was a medical student on my ICU rotation. Every day, we would round on a patient who had an autoimmune kidney disease. Every day, the team talked to her about “her numbers” and how she was headed toward dialysis. After rounds, she called me to her room one day. Tearfully, she told me she felt bad that she “failed.” I realized that the medical team kept telling her that she had ‘kidney failure.’ I sat down next to her and explained what this meant. I told her that she wasn’t a ‘failure.’ I realized how important the words we use really are. –Medical student
I had a patient in the ER who came in with a heart attack. After recognizing his abnormal EKG, I alerted the team, gave the proper medication, talked to the patient, and arranged for him to get to the cardiac catheterization lab quickly. Afterward, the nurse told me I did a great job. Although it was something I was trained to do, it felt good. I was recognized as someone who expertly cared for a patient in need. -ER doctor
A family friend became sick with cancer that had spread all over her body. She asked me to come to her doctor’s appointments. After each appointment, I would draw a picture of the discussion that happened at the appointment. I would translate the medical jargon into words that she understood. It was not the act of ‘being the doctor’ when I felt like a doctor. It was my act of ‘being the caregiving’ that I felt like a doctor -ER doctor (yes, this one is me)
These are just a few responses I wanted to share. There are so many others that have resonated with me; I think about these stories all the time. If you are in the medical field and feeling down, I’d urge you to take 5 minutes and try the exercise yourself! And share it with others.
And on a side note…….
As you probably already know, I am sucker for New Years ’s Resolutions. Well, on my list for 2024 is to spend more time in my basement art studio. I actually put a few boxes on my calendar each week as an “appointment” that I need to check off. If I ‘announce’ my goal publicly, maybe I will be more likely to stick to it. Who wants to jon me for a creative 2024?
Not sure how to start? Here are a few earlier posts I had written about How to Get Into The Habit of Daily Painting and How To Keep A Sketchbook: 5 Simple Steps
Thanks for reading this far. I hope that you enjoyed this post. Hope to see you next month on March 2. Stay well!