Before becoming a Hospice volunteer, I had just recently begun thinking more critically about my ingrained assumptions surrounding end of life care and death. An anthropology course I took in the spring of 2020, titled “Culture, Health and Illness”, made my beliefs more visible as it discussed many of the ways that biomedicine focuses on solving and understanding molecular underpinnings of disease instead of what treatment or care may be best for the patient. This year, through my volunteering, I hoped to more closely understand a patient’s experience with Hospice care, showing me the ways in which healthcare can be fully patient focused. Weekly calls to my patient “Jane” and her husband “John” have helped me not only understand how Hospice care can support patients holistically at the end of their lives, but also highlighted the role of family and community support in health and illness. It taught me important qualities that I hope to incorporate into my practice as a physician.
Both the pandemic and Jane’s transition to hospice has led to a new adjustment of normal for Jane and John. Most weeks in my calls I checked in with John, hearing about Jane’s progress and how they were both doing. John has repeatedly reiterated his complete commitment to caring for Jane, no matter what happens, because they have been through so much in their lives and the least he can do is fully support her. Talking to John about their changing relationship as Jane requires more care has also made me think more about my grandmother’s and mother’s experiences over the past few years as my grandfather’s health declined. Families become advocates inside the doctor’s office and over the phone, interpreting medical information and pushing for the prescriptions that they know help the patient. As a Hospice volunteer, I learned about the role of support systems (specifically family) in healing— and how physicians, whether caring for end of life patients or not, are a critical member of the team that should be advocating for what is best for the patient.
As I prepare to apply for medical school in the near future, I will take away the compassion and thoughtfulness in Hospice care that I learned about through calling Jane and John. As someone who is interested in pursuing a MD/PhD and hopes to conduct research on cellular and molecular biology related to disease, I think it is really easy to get lost in the biological mechanisms and not remember the most important aspect of being a great doctor— treating and caring for the patient over their disease or health condition. Hospice care for Jane was not about solving medical problems, but about the music therapy and massages that brought her comfort, and providing a multitude of resources for John so that he had support in caregiving. Overall, my experience volunteering with Hospice has reemphasized my motivation to pursue a career in medicine through demonstrating the positive influence that patient-forward care can have on the patient and their families at the end of life. In becoming a physician, I hope to play a role in creating this positive impact of healing.