Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

3 lessons this physician learned from her patients

Ellen Poulose Redger, MD
Physician
December 23, 2018
52 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I recently completed my internal medicine residency training.  Three years, thousands of hours, thousands of patients, thousands of decisions.  I certainly learned a lot from the past three years: everything from what “HFrEF” means and how to manage it, to treating recurrent C. difficile colitis, to how to share decision-making with patients about whether or not to start anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation.  Despite the multitude of lessons I have learned from my co-residents, my fellows, my attendings, the nurses, the pharmacists, and everyone else involved in my training, I think that the most profound lessons I’ve learned are from my patients.

Lesson 1

Earlier this year, a patient gave me a recipe for leg of lamb.  He had been fighting a hematologic malignancy for years and had spent the better part of the past six months severely neutropenic — and then came in with invasive aspergillosis, which led to emergent and disfiguring surgery. At first, he could laugh about “being a pirate for Halloween” [this was months away from Halloween].  Later, he refused to speak to the team when he realized just how seriously ill he was.  There’s nothing worse than watching someone decline like that — and so, I pulled up a chair to the bedside, let his wife have a well-deserved break from being in the room, and asked the patient what he liked to do.  He eventually started talking about cooking, which is something I enjoy, too.  Naturally, I had to ask him what his “signature dish” was.  It was a leg of lamb.  As he described how to remove the fascia from the meat, and how to properly spice it, and at what temperature he would roast it, he became more than “the patient with invasive aspergillosis.”  I saw a small glimpse of the man who had loved being the center of his family and celebrating with them.  When the hours and stresses of residency add up, it’s important to remember to spend time with those we love.

Lesson 2

Some of the things I’ve learned from my patients aren’t as bittersweet.  There was another patient, the victim of another drug overdose in the ongoing heroin epidemic, who came under my care last fall.  Just as soon as she was remotely stable, she wanted to leave — that instant.  So, I went in to talk to her, to see if I could convince her to stay at least a little longer.  She had back pain, and if we couldn’t give her pain medications, she was going to go back out on the street and find something that would work.  Eventually, she agreed to stay and to try to get help for her addiction.  After her estranged daughter showed up to see her, the patient opened up about what had happened to her — after a car accident, she had back pain and had gotten her first prescription for opioids.  Years went by with monthly refills, until her physician abruptly cut her off, at which point she turned to the street to get pills, and later, heroin.  Heroin was cheaper; surprisingly cheap, when I asked her how much it cost.  Perhaps she was the victim of a well-intentioned effort trying to curb opioid use in this country.  Now, though, she wanted to get clean — the condition her daughter set for being able to see her grandchildren.  This patient taught me of the importance of looking beyond just “another addict” or “another XYZ” patient, because each of these patients is someone’s parent, partner, child, or friend.

Lesson 3

Several of the things that I’ve learned have been much lighter in nature, too.  The retired jeweler in my clinic who gently chastised me for wearing my engagement ring while pulling gloves on and off in clinic.  He didn’t want me to accidentally throw away something that’s priceless.  The kind older bus driver who recommended places to go for vacation (you were right — Austin was a really fun place to go for a long weekend).  The patient who very much misunderstood what I was saying (“I like Boston,” in reference to his Red Sox shirt; not, “I like boxing”) and peppered me with questions about which weight class I liked.  The lovely and very chatty patient with whom my attending once left me, as he ducked out of the room, telling her that his resident (me) liked cookies, thus leaving me to debate the merits of thin and crispy vs. thick and chewy cookies for 20 minutes and prompting the patient’s family to show up with bags of cookies for me the next day.  These patients taught me to really listen to what people are saying, because these human connections are worth their weight in gold (and chocolate chip cookies).

It can be very difficult when the hours are long, the learning curve is steep, and the patients are sick to remember to learn something every day.  Reading books and journals and doing questions is important, but so is learning from our patients.  And I am so glad they are willing to teach.

Ellen Poulose Redger is an internal medicine chief resident who blogs at Insights on Residency Training, a part of NEJM Journal Watch.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

A patient sues when a DNR is ignored

December 23, 2018 Kevin 1
…
Next

When a physician attends the funeral of a patient

December 24, 2018 Kevin 5
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A patient sues when a DNR is ignored
Next Post >
When a physician attends the funeral of a patient

More by Ellen Poulose Redger, MD

  • How to find your squad in residency

    Ellen Poulose Redger, MD
  • The fallacy of work-life balance in medicine

    Ellen Poulose Redger, MD
  • You can measure the pulse of a hospital by its coffee shop

    Ellen Poulose Redger, MD

Related Posts

  • Physician Suicide Awareness Day: Where are the patients? 

    Jennifer M. Sweeney
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • The lessons learned from street medicine

    Nicholas Bascou
  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • Lessons learned from my MPH gap year

    Waqas Haque
  • A surprising example of how medicine is learned from our patients

    Aaron Grubner

More in Physician

  • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

    Kevin Haselhorst, MD
  • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

    Emily Stanford, DO
  • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • The Iranian diaspora’s fight for liberty: Overcoming challenges in the largest women’s rights movement of our century

    Montreh Tavakkoli, MD
  • The harmful effects of shaming patients for self-education

    Maryanna Barrett, MD
  • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

    Wendy Schofer, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revolutionizing COPD management with virtual care solutions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Journal Shows Its Commitment to Exploring AI in Medicine
  • Do Away With 'Lockout' Period in iPLEDGE, FDA Advisors Urge
  • Cluster Headache, Migraine Linked to Circadian System
  • Smaller Liver Transplant Candidates Wait Longer, Less Likely to Receive Organ
  • A 'Double Whammy' for Gastric Cancer Risk

Meeting Coverage

  • Oral Roflumilast Effective in the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Less Abuse With Extended-Release Oxycodone, Poison Center Data Suggest
  • Novel Strategies Show Winning Potential in Ovarian Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revolutionizing COPD management with virtual care solutions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...