"I would be proud to have you as my son."

A while back, a patient told me that.  I almost can't believe someone said that to me still.  I was told I have a look of kindness in my eyes and not to lose it.  

It's amazing how you can find displays of positivity in hospitalized people.

I think that was the highlight of my intense past few days.  One day of this past week was a bit emotional because it is my first experience with a patient who I've been following showing signs of a struggle with his/her health.  Some patients fight so hard against a disease and seeing patients like this one in particular makes me want to help them in their struggle by doing everything I can for them, even though my skills really are just sitting there and listening.  


Remember that sometimes all you can do is just listen though, and don't let yourself be crushed by the loss of a patient.  I'll elaborate more on that later.

Right now I love being a medical student right now because I have more time than the others on my team to connect with patients.  Granted, some encounters are difficult because patients refuse tests/refuse seeing you and don't really want to deal with someone who is a trainee.

But sometimes you really connect with people and turn their day around and make them smile and feel better or you give them something to laugh about with you.  

So next time you're doing an EKG, or some kind of test, ask your patient about a sports game or talk about something with them while you're performing it, or inbetween questions in taking a social/physical history.  People will open up to you more, tell you a lot more about their condition and how it's affecting them.  For example, if you ask a patient how their condition makes them feel, or how it's affecting their life, you can glean important details that shed more light on their pathophysiology, or the progression of their disease.

Everyone appreciates positivity, especially your patients.  Even if you're not a positive person, try it out for a day: make an effort to make your patient more comfortable, your team in better spirits, and it'll go a long way.