Storytelling And The Practice Of Medicine

I was at Hamad General Hospital shadowing medical professionals of different specialties to get an overall idea of what the medical career was like, I was at ED (Emergency Department) when suddenly and with no previous warning “Cardiac Arrest !,” yelled the nurse, in moments emergency specialists were standing above the 16 year old male patient head sorting out CPR, AED etc..; first shock was delivered, the second and third followed, but the teenager didn’t even blink, he lay lifelessly, few more attempts and the white blanket was pulled over him; I couldn’t believe my eyes, I had witnessed an in-hospital death for the first time; trembling and shaking, I walked out of Bay-1, with a completely new meaning of medicine.

During my time shadowing physicians, I have realized that physicians need to be expert listeners in order to effectively assess a patient and fully understand their problems. I observed that the more a physician actively listens to their patients, patients trust their physician and can openly express any further troubles. My upbringing has given me the ability to be an effective listener. Raised in a quasi-conservative Indian household, I learned to carefully listen to everything my elders have to say. As a physician, I will take advantage of this skill to be an active listener for my patients and be able to better implement the appropriate treatment plans.

That situation with the younger doctor made me think of the reading Narrative Medicine which is about aiming to introduce into everyday medical practice the use of narrative (story telling) as an instrument to gather and understand information about the patient's history and illness. Having knowledge of their psychological and physical state is very helpful. When Dr. Charon spoke with the 36-year-old Dominican man, she didn’t take over the conversation. She listened and it touched him because he says, “No one has ever let me do this before.” This made me really think about my family’s interactions with doctors and nurses since my teen years to present. Her diabetes began to spiral out of control and it never really stabilized. Over the course of the years, she was hospitalized

I had such a great day at clinical yesterday. I was finally able to see a vaginal delivery and that entire process. When I arrived in the morning, the mom had just received Cytotec, to help induce labor and ripen her cervix. She was forty-one weeks and zero. Around ten thirty in the morning, she asked for her epidural to manage her pain. We bolused her with fifteen hundred milliliters of lactated ringers to prevent hypotension. Shane was the certified registered nurse anesthesiologist (CRNA) who administered the epidural. It was very cool watching him administer all the needed pain relief medication before he administered the epidural to make sure that it would be placed in the epidural space in the spine. Then administered a small test dose, waited till a few blood pressures were taken, then administered the remaining about through an epidural pump. After the epidural was administered, I was able to administer her foley catheter. I was so happy that I was finally able to place one. I learned a few tricks from Maura (my nurse) as well. She taught me that it was easier to take the top off of the lubricant syringe and to place the tip of the foley inside of the syringe, that way it will not wiggle around and become unsterile. She also taught me to grab from the bottom of the labia and pull up, that way it ensures that I will have a clear entrance to

My first week went really well! I was definately both nervous and excited on the first day. I was nervous because I wasn't sure how the clinic would run and I quickly learned that it is a very fast paced clinic. My CI sees patients every 15 minutes and he is both the only PT there and the owner of the clinic. I have been learning a lot about PT treatments as well as the buisness side of the PT clinic. He has a lot of PT aides that help with exercises and setting patients up with ice and stim ect. The fast paced clinic was definately something I had to get used to. I was a little overwhelmed when we would just start with a patient and a new patient would walk in the door. However, there is a very good flow in the clinic and everyone is always

The health literacy need chosen was cultural competency, a poster was made as the resource as many culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) individuals face a barrier in health literacy in which there thought process and reactions are different to those that are more use to the western healthcare system. The way CALD individuals view certain health problems such as death, recovery and certain diseases may not align with the western biomedical model as their culture may not be synonymous with Australian culture or they may have faced negative experiences in their previous health experiences (Holmes and Grech, 2015). The resource made attempts to responds to this health literacy need by trying to eliminate the fear of a cultural barrier between

An individuals ethnicity and culture is an integral part of their life that influences their perceptions of both health and illness (Andrews & Boyle, 2016). Culture is the accumulated knowledge, values, personal and social behavior, customs, language, and religious beliefs of an ethnic group that are learned and practiced. With this being said, with the rapid rise of individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds, being aware of the perceptions of different cultures is essential in providing culturally competent care. The purpose of this paper is to explore the diverse cultural background of the patient involved in one of the four videos that were allotted to choose from and discuss their perception of health and illness. Furthermore, the overarching

I am most familiar with the Urgent Medical Center. In my opinion, it is very well-structured place with a diverse staffing. It was always a pleasant environment when I had to visit the center for an illness. The center has at least two physicians and nurses on-site at all time. Also, there are several medical assistants to help provide quality of care as patient wait to be seen by a physician. This organization promotes health and wellness services to all patients. Theirs mission is to provide an affordable, quality healthcare with respect and compassion to all patients. The urgent medical center mainly focuses on treating common illness and non-life-threatening injuries. One thing that they do not have on-site is an equipment for diagnostic,

Having lived in three different countries in my childhood, it was a challenge for me to I wade through the unspoken rules of each culture. My Chinese heritage, reminded by my mother’s cooking, complements my penchant for Japanese snacks and trinkets. At the same time, I proudly represent Seattle where I grew up. My friends were often confused by my habits or certain beliefs and my family often did not comprehend what I was learning and struggling with at school. These obstacles were not solved overnight; I slowly learned to understand, taking the advice of many helpful teachers and mentors. I had to learn how to ask for help and advocate for myself. In my pursuit of medicine, I recognize healthcare transcends this cultural barrier, but the

This past’s week’s articles and video’s has shown me the differences between two models of care one being the biomedical model versus the biopsychosocial model (Soupis, 2016). Both of these models have value however, distinctively different in their theoretical frameworks of how they deliver patient care within the underlying roles that exist in the patient physician relationship. As I watched all the video presentations; after having read all the articles already being moved by the writings of Dr. Rita Charon, her video further demonstrated what type of impact a physician can have on their patients when delivering this type of care “as she aptly named narrative medicine”(Charon,2009, p.119). This week’s lesson on narrative medicine struck a nerve into the depth of my inner being, totally awed me, this developing field rather evolving branch of medicine.

Since there aren’t many practicing DO’s in my area, I didn’t have much knowledge about osteopathic medical practice until a friend who was familiar with osteopathic medicine, discussed it with me. After a lot of independent research, I was very interested in the practice of osteopathic medicine. Luckily, I was put in contact with a practicing DO in a rural area near my home. My first experience with a DO was unique from all of my other shadowing opportunities because the level of personalized care each patient received from her was different than any I had ever experienced personally, or while shadowing. It felt so personal, and less business like than any other doctor visits I’ve ever had or witness. She took the time to get to know what was

"See? T-there is nothing to b-be afraid of," Neil assured. We were currently inside the elevator as the doors were shutting; my eyes were covered by my hands, and I was leaning against the wall for support. It had taken another ten minutes after agreeing to do it before I got myself to actually get on the thing.

I do my best to attend junior doctor tutorials, case presentations, departmental meetings and grand round sessions. I am dedicated to gaining knowledge and so I have attended tutorials on my days off and would drive to other hospital sites, different to my primary site, just to participate in learning opportunities.

Each year, my mother, my younger brother, and I return to our hometown, Okinawa- a pacific island south of Japan. The island of Okinawa is my background and my inchoation.The majority of my family lives on this island, and each member has influenced me in unimaginable ways and has supported me through my goals and endeavors. My greatest recollection is when all twelve of my younger cousins spent hours to make one thousand paper cranes while I was undergoing a tumor-abstraction surgery. The paper cranes symbolize an ancient legend that promises a wish granted by the Gods, and their wish for me was a quick and safe recovery. Along with praying for my health, they have supported me in my dream of becoming a pediatric doctor. My grandparents sent

This has been established for us before where recognition of trial and error of what medical methods work in sustaining health have been passed on in narration. This long history of continuous narration has now made medicine a tradition that we humans live by, spanning across