Transcript

I remember my first patient in clinical that I had on my own. Before going in the room, the nurse told me about the patient and that she was battling with cancer and had decided to not have any more treatments or life saving measures really done after this hospital visit. I immediately got nervous and wondered what I was going to say to her and how would I help console her. So after a while, I went in the room and took her vitals and did my assessment and we began to talk a little in between. After exiting the room, I was so relieved I had gotten that done. Then it was time for her to go down for surgery and she insisted that I go down with her. Oh my gracious I was stunned and had no idea what I would do or say while we were headed down. So, she went through the procedure and she was out quickly and before I knew it we were sitting in the recovery area. She was so nervous and worried about everything that was going on and about her husband and family. So, she turned to me and said, DeShonda, just sit and tell me your life story. She said begin with your childhood and just tell me everything all the way up to now and how you ended up sitting here with me. I was shocked and wondered how my life story could help her… why would she want to sit and listen to me talk about my life. I began telling her my story and I could see the ease come across her face, it looked like a weight was lifted off her shoulders and she was just relieved for a few moments. On the way back to the floor she voiced how appreciative she was of me doing that and just how glad she was I was able to come with her. But, I still wondered how my story could have helped her when she’s dealing with such a disease. I guess it was just the mere fact of having someone there with her, someone to talk to her without mentioning her disease process or the complications that come with it. It was a moment for her to escape her disease and picture something different and less stressful. I was so honored that I was able to be there and be that escape for her and to make such a big difference for her. In saying that, my philosophy of healthcare is to just be there, to be that shoulder to lean on, to be that escape that some patients need. I want to strive to treat every patient as if they were my own family because if that was my loved one, I would want someone to do the same. I also want to provide unbiased care to my patients without regard to their race, gender or socioeconomic background. It’s important to remember that we are all human and the homeless man or drug addict deserves the same care that we give to the lawyer or movie actor. We are not there to judge, but to provide the best care possible to each and every patient.