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 March
10, 2009
Why have we chosen to practice medicine? We must
believe that life has worth; that humanity has an
intrinsic dignity. I’m reading The Rebirth of the
Clinic by Daniel P. Sulmasy, a medical doctor and
Francisian friar. He defines dignity simply as, “somebodyness.”
It is the conviction that everybody is a somebody.
Human beings have a worth and a value beyond price.
We practice medicine because we recognize and
respect the preciousness of life. The above
describes intrinsic dignity, an inalienable
attribute of the human person.
Sulmasy describes another type of dignity as well:
attributed dignity. Attributed dignity is what we
work to preserve in our patients. It is the value or
worth one attributes to others or to onself; based
on one’s function, one’s productivity, and one’s
degree of control over one’s situation. Illness and
death attack our attributed dignity. As physicians
we uphold the attributed dignity of human beings
wherever possible. However, the loss of attributed
dignity does not rob a person of intrinsic human
dignity. Sulmasy states, “Those who attributed
dignity has been assaulted are most as risk for
believing that their own intrinsic dignity has been
vanquished. This risk applies, above all, to persons
who are sick and dying.”
In only a few months my class will pledge to promote
health and preserve life. We must strive to preserve
the attributed dignity of each person while
recognizing the intrinsic dignity of all.
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January
28, 2009
Control. We want it or think we have it. We try to
control our time, our careers, our relationships,
and our futures. We sequester as many hours, as much
information, and as many possessions as possible in
attempt to be perfectly efficient and self-reliant.
We want nothing and no one to get in the way of our
goals. As students, we become so focused on our
degree that we neglect friends, family, outside
interests and our own health. We think we need this
score on a test or this ranking in our class or this
residency spot or our lives will be in shambles. If
we don’t succeed despite our work and sacrifices, we
become angry and frustrated. In our minds we deserve
to be the best and to get what we want when we want
it. Success should be immediately apparent for our
investment. As doctors, we may think we possess
control of another’s body and health. We attempt to
control life and death. We stick in tubes and cut
out organs in hope we can delay inevitable death.
Then someday, hopefully, we realize we are not in
total control. Our families and friends will
sometimes disappoint us. We will not hold the
highest score on every exam. Our patients will not
get better everytime. Despite all the hard work we
do, we may occasionally fail! We can work hard, do
our best, and then let it go. We can not fix
everyone or everything.
Hopefully, as osteopaths, we have a better
understanding of this lack of control than most. If
we remind ourselves we are not the healers, but
rather our patients are the ones that will heal
themselves, we might be able live with a bit less
anxiety and frustration. We understand that we do
not control the body but rather facilitate the
body’s own healing processes. We can educate our
patients and empower them to care for their bodies. |
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November
3, 2008
Decision 2008. Another life-altering choice I have
to make this year. In the midst of discerning where
to spend the next 3 years of my life as well as want
area of medicine I want to practice for the next 30
years, I will also participate in choosing the
leader of the free world. These decisions take
careful thought; balancing priorities, weighing
advantages and disadvantages, and predicting
outcomes. As I search for reputable resources,
compile statistics and compare conclusions, I am
reminded of those tedious Evidence Based Medicine
assignments we were required to complete for Dr.
Doug Mann. They were time-consuming, and I was often
frustrated when I did not have immediate free access
to papers and journals I hoped to reference. The
temptation to click whatever link Google posted
first was difficult to suppress. Fortunately, Dr.
Mann provided us with a concise way to approach EBM,
listing four steps to follow. I can parallel his
approach to achieve EBV, Evidence Based Voting:
1. Convert the need for information into answerable
questions (PICO).
“Patient”- How will changes in political power
affect you, your patients, your community, your
country and the world? What changes do you hope to
see?
Interventions- What are the platforms of the
politicians?
Comparison- How do the candidates compare or
contrast on the issues? What issues are most
important to you?
Outcomes- How will these elections impact the next
four years? What changes do you want to see?
2. Track down the best evidence with which to answer
questions.
Avoid unreliable resources. Wikipedia is the
equivalent of a four letter word when written on a
research reference page. Similarly for politics,
using Youtube or a single media story to decide
one’s candidate is equally as foolish.
3. Critically appraise the evidence for its
applicability, impact, and validity.
Think. Don’t regurgitate someone else’s opinion.
4. Integrate the critical appraisal with our
clinical expertise and with our patient's unique
biology, values, and circumstances. Understand how
the political stance of politicians will impact you,
your world and the world you leave to others.
Now we understand how to become informed voters.
There are still three issues that prevent us from
becoming competent voters that we must overcome:
1. We imagine that we are too busy; that our time is
already overcommitted with responsibilities to
concern ourselves with politics. We have enough
medical journals and text books to study and we’d
rather let the political science majors figure it
out. Often, we have this tunnel vision where we are
concerned with our one goal of achieving a medical
degree. But we are among the most educated people in
the country. If we are not willing take the time to
understand the issues, who will?
2. We feel we can’t make a difference. We don’t see
the direct repercussions of submitting our vote,
unlike the experience of treating an acutely ill
patient. The tedious process of change on a national
scale isn’t as immediately tangible as seeing a
gaping wound neatly approximating by our own
suturing technique. But the benefits of diet and
exercise aren’t seen overnight, and these are
vitally important. As it is important to stress to
the 40 pack-year smoker that tobacco is hazardous to
his health, we must actively contribute to improving
our country by casting our vote.
3. We become frustrated that nothing will change. We
throw up our hands and foolishly decide we will do
nothing. Choosing NOT to choose is making a choice.
So many health care issues such as universal medical
coverage and right to life are hot topics in the
election. Someone will be elected this month whether
we vote of not, but it is our choice if we let
others control our future.
The right to vote is a privilege, as is the
opportunity to care for patients. Use these
responsibilities wisely by equipping yourself to
practice medicine and responsible citizenship in the
best way possible. |
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September 24, 2008Ah! I
am relishing the opportunity to impart my wisdom and
experience on impressionable minds. The future of
medicine is at my fingertips! I saw the skepticism
in the raised eyebrows of my classmates when I
declared I would be writing a blog for the OU-COM
admissions website. “What's she going to write
about,” they were thinking, “running 8 miles a day
and Notre Dame Football? Those kids are going to be
so confused.” After four years, my friends still do
not appreciate the workings of my psyche. Little do
they know that I have advice coming out of my ears
to share with you all!
It is true I possess a profound love of athletics
and Notre Dame. I am writing this while sitting at
Buffalo Wild Wings in South Bend watching the Irish.
Yes, the restaurant is full and I'm the only one
here with a computer and without a beer. In addition
to majoring in Preprofessional Studies in the
College of Science, I competed in four years of
rowing at Our Lady's university.
After balancing pre-med and a varsity sport at Notre
Dame, I was not a stranger to the importance of time
management. This experience was most helpful upon
entering medical school and confronting the hefty
workload of post-graduate education. I chose the CPC
route at OU-COM and benefited from the structured
lectures as well as the case-based small groups. I
currently live in Sandusky, Ohio and am a fourth
year student at the Firelands CORE hospital. I have
enjoyed every moment in this well- organized,
enthusiastic, supportive learning environment. This
past week I finished COMLEX part 2 (woo hoo!), and I
am pursuing a residency in Emergency Medicine.
My passion is striving to develop myself according
to the philosophy of our man, Dr. A.T. Still: A
balance of body, mind, and spirit. The osteopathic
philosophy is essential to health and happiness not
only for our patients, but also for ourselves. I
enjoy contributing to my community, deepening
relationships with friends and family, improving my
physical health, and striving for knowledge beyond
the field of medicine. This well-roundedness is
essential to avoid "burning out” and helpful in
relating to our future patients. The road to
becoming a physician is much too long and demanding
to not enjoy the journey. It is essential to
maintain the health of our bodies, minds, and
spirits in order to serve our patients effectively.
For my first blog entry, I want to leave you with
something profound so that you truly feel moved by
reading my written stream of consciousness. “Nothing
in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than
unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education
alone will not; the world is full of educated
derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are
omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and
always will solve the problems of the human race. Touché, President Coolidge. It is a long and arduous
journey to earn that D.O. designation, but it is a
surmountable task. It's a great time as well. There
is nothing more awe-inspiring than studying the
incredible healing abilities of our bodies and
helping facilitate those processes in others. Best
wishes in your pursuit of medicine. |
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Ohio University
Heritage
College of Osteopathic Medicine
102
Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701
1-800-345-1560 |
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