Lessons from the patient encounters

My classmate, Karen Montevirgen, writes a moving piece about her experience with her father in the recovery room. She ends with this:

Now, here I am trying to be a doctor myself. I meet patients, and I try to learn from them. I’m no longer a “bantay” by the bed, but a doctor-to-be — like I’m already on the other side of the hospital bed. My dad has gone ahead, and he’s given me a lot of support in this endeavor. Remembering that moment with him in the recovery room reminds me to be more sympathetic with my patients. It made me realize that not because I’m studying medicine means I know more. Because truth is, I don’t. Every patient encounter should be a point of learning for me — to learn his/her case and more importantly, how he/she is feeling.

That I have to learn for and with the patients whenever I meet them is something I must remind myself of daily. Thanks, Karen.