My experiences as a hospice volunteer have helped me understand the vocation of a doctor. The Athena training impacted how I think about medicine and a doctor’s role, especially for patients nearing death. In particular, I appreciated the lessons in listening well, paying attention to patients’ behavior, and practicing self-care as a medical professional. Through this experience, I also got to know fellow premed students. Working with them to serve patients showed me what it might be like collaborating with a team of medical professionals in the future. This program also helped me form an idea of what end-of-life support for a patient should look like. Most of all, it reminded me how precious each patient’s life is and gave me the opportunity to serve my patients as they neared the end of their lives.
There were two patients in particular whose stories will stay with me. I met both at the nursing home where a couple of other students and I visited. The first was in the memory care unit. I spent a lot of time just sitting with her during her dinner times. She was sweet and quiet, and when she did speak to us, it was usually to compliment us. Most of the time she just smiled at us or sat in silence. We noticed that she barely ate any of her dinner, so I asked for permission to feed her. We helped her eat dinner at our next visit. She eventually told us she wanted to try feeding herself, and did so. I was happy to see her more energetic and engaged during that visit. After Christmas break, I learned that our patient had passed away. I realized that I cannot take visiting a patient for granted, because I can never know what turns his or her life might take. The experience prompted me to visit our other patient more intentionally. I spent an evening just sitting with her while she ate dinner. She barely spoke, and I wondered if I should leave, but I wanted to know her better. I found that there were little things I could do to show her I cared, like adjusting her straw and fixing her napkin over her clothes when it slipped. When she passed away two weeks later, I was glad I had taken the time to be with her.
My experiences with these two patients taught me that life is precious and can take unexpected turns. At any encounter with a patient, it is a doctor’s job to treat them with as much honor as if they were the only patient and this were the only time the doctor would ever see them. That point was also emphasized by other elements of the Athena program, like pre-visit training and writing progress notes. The training course taught me that hospice care is about seeing a patient as a whole person and preserving what they value most in their lives. While writing patient progress notes, I realized that doctors must remain aware of their patients’ humanity and interact with them accordingly. At the same time, doctors must pay attention to medical signs and symptoms, and bring their expertise to every encounter. Writing patient reports helps me to recognize that balance, because while I am getting to know my patients as people in the moment, I spend time reflecting on our conversation and interactions afterwards. Experiences like these allowed me to practice some of the skills that I will need as a future doctor, and helped me understand a doctor’s vocation.
Works Cited: I used portions of Reflections 1 and 2 for this essay.