When I think of my most meaningful patient relationship, I think of my first patient, \u201cJane Doe\u201d, who had a gentle soul but powerful presence. The first time we met, I leaned in to hear her ask for my name, and after I introduced myself, she responded with a warm smile. For the remainder of the visit, we worked on a puzzle together, and although we did not speak much, the energy in the room was pleasant and calm. I never got to know \u201cJane Doe\u201d well, but the moments we shared still held weight in my life, leaving me grieving after her passing. As someone who hopes to be a physician, \u201cJane Doe\u201d helped me realize the importance of sharing simple moments of silence. Oftentimes, comfort comes in the form of small exchanges.<\/p>\n
Becoming a hospice volunteer has put me in touch with the gentler side of myself. In the midst of a patient’s chaotic health journey, sometimes all they want is a companion to share a moment of peace with. \u201cLess is more\u201d is a mantra that has served me throughout my hospice volunteering. Watching patients experience the transition between life and death has reinforced the idea that medicine is not just about extending life but also about ensuring dignity and peace in one\u2019s final days. Being a physician can mean healing patients of all their ailments but it also means providing them with a set of choices and holding their hand as they walk whichever path they choose.<\/p>\n
Atul Gawande describes a doctor\u2019s first fear as the expectation that they should be able to fix every problem. This comes with anxieties such as appearing competent and wondering if there was anything they could have done differently when a patient dies. However, Gawande emphasizes that aging and dying are the two \u201cunfixables.\u201d Participating in the Athena Institute Pre-Med Hospice Volunteer Program helped me recognize that good physicians are not just trained to escape death, they must be trained to greet it appropriately when it inevitably arrives. <\/p>\n
Being Mortal discusses the importance of patient autonomy and the role of palliative care in preserving dignity at the end of life. My time in hospice has deepened my understanding of these concepts. I have seen firsthand how small acts of kindness can ease a patient\u2019s discomfort. The documentary highlights how medicine often focuses on prolonging life at all costs, sometimes at the expense of the patient\u2019s well-being. My hospice experience has affirmed my belief that a physician\u2019s role should include facilitating a good death, one that aligns with a patient\u2019s wishes and maintains their dignity.<\/p>\n
My hospice experience was especially valuable as it deepened my understanding of patient care beyond just the clinical aspects. My time as a hospice volunteer has strengthened my commitment to becoming a compassionate physician\u2014one who values both the science of healing and the art of presence. Being a good physician means understanding how to handle situations that do not have solutions and, in many cases, this means death. Hospice volunteering has profoundly shaped my sense of vocation by reinforcing my belief that medicine is not just about treating disease but about treating people. It is about understanding their fears, their hopes, and their need for comfort in their final moments. At the end of the day, we are humans before we are doctors. As I continue my journey toward medicine, I carry with me the lessons of hospice\u2014the importance of presence, the power of silence, and the necessity of honoring each patient\u2019s humanity until the very end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I think of my most meaningful patient relationship, I think of my first patient, \u201cJane Doe\u201d, who had a gentle soul but powerful presence. The first time we met, I leaned in to hear her ask for my name, and after I introduced myself, she responded with a warm smile. For the remainder of … Continue reading “Healing with Humanity”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"school":[15],"program_year":[54],"class_list":["post-2364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hospice","school-swarthmore","program_year-54"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2453,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364\/revisions\/2453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2364"},{"taxonomy":"school","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/school?post=2364"},{"taxonomy":"program_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program_year?post=2364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}