Sometimes what patients really need can be surprising

“I give up! I can’t help these people.” Emily was completing the final month of her emergency medicine residency and flopped into her chair with exasperation.

“What’s up?” I asked. We were on the final two hours of our shift together. And I, as her attending, was already feeling apprehensive about the patient encounter that awaited me.

“They want so much from me, and I can’t fix them!” She began to tell …

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