During this experience I am grateful to say that I have made one very meaningful relationship. This patient truly opened up to me about their life and their own personal experiences. I truly never thought that I would have met a person like this in such a short amount of time. When I first began the program I had two patients who I had a hard time connecting to and passed away very quickly. In a way I was discouraged a bit at first because I was so eager to make a relationship with at least one patient. Finally I was lucky enough to be paired with this patient. She told me so many stories of her childhood and her important relationships in her life. Her younger sister who is about 20 years younger than her would still visit her and she got very emotional talking about her sister. It is so beautiful to see the various relationships that are key in different peoples lives. It reminded me of how important it is to make sure to always let the key people in your life know how important they are to you. My patient would also always discuss her regrets in life and how she had regrets about her marriage and that was something that stuck with me a lot. I don’t want to keep having regrets in life not only in relationships but everything I do. She even told me that she has never talked to anyone about this. This meant so much to me and I will never forget this relationship.
This experience is definitely something that I will never forget and cherish forever. I will also continue to reflect on this experience as well. Over time I have learned that life is what you make it to be. It does not have to be a straight line that you have to follow forever until you get to the end. Of course we know that this experience will be useful for med school applications but it is an experience that changes your perspective on life. In the past I used to get worked up on such small things and never focus on the important things and people in life. You have to always be grateful for what you have and never forget about the people around you. It is so easy to get wrapped up in school and career to the point of having nothing else.
At the end of the day in the life of a doctor or any type of caregiver it is so important to go into every situation with compassion. Having compassion for yourself and others is so key to being able to successfully communicate with others and also to be in tune with ourselves. When in the medical field it is important to be able to think outside of the realm of just finding a solution for the patient. We not only have to find the best solution but also think about their wants and needs as well and look at what is the best option for them. There is so much more than just all the science we learn every day to become a doctor but also the empathy, compassion and love you must have for yourself and others.