Always A Patient
What does it feel like to wait nearly an hour in a cold room with only a thin cloth separating your private parts from the outside world? More than likely, we have all had some uncomfortable incident where
we were the patient. Now, the dominant perspective has us behind the white coat. As PAs or aspiring PAs, it is possible for the clinical viewpoint to prevail and crowd out our memories of being the patient. How often have you observed insensitivity or yourself been disdainful towards a patient?
My friend told me a story from a recent clinical encounter. His patient had an abscess in a personal area that carried a pungent odor. His internal response was inconsistent with the external. Despite being shocked on the inside, he made the patient very comfortable with his compassionate demeanor. My friend has never had an abscess, but the way he displayed empathy could have fooled us all.
Whether we like it or not, one day we will be on the cold table with our parts exposed. Being clinicians, we can forget this reality and cease to recognize how our patients really feel. A practical method is to wonder how it would feel to be behind the gown. How would you feel if you were nearly naked, emitting a nauseating odor, or waiting almost an hour to see the doc? Remember this next time you walk into a patient's room. We are all patients at one time or another, and so we must keep our perspectives grounded.