The practice of medicine is loaded with emotions. A patient experiences fear, anxiety, anger, sadness and joy when they interact with physicians. This is probably what comes to our mind when we think about emotions in the medical field. But do we, as doctors, know how we feel?
With every case brought into the emergency room, or, with every surgery taking place in the operation theater, there is so much that goes on in our hearts and minds.
From hope that we can help our patient, to despair if things go wrong. From the fear of making a mistake to having the courage to use the scalpel. From the joy of placing a baby in its mother’s hands to the sorrow of having to tell a family that their loved one is no more. We experience it all! There are a myriad of emotions that we face with every patient interaction that we have. I guess all these emotions ultimately lead us to feeling burnt out.
We are expected not to participate in these emotions so that the accuracy of our clinical judgement is unhampered. We are expected to be empathetic as well as detached at the same time. This is considered to be the “secret of the ideal physician.”
But it’s easier said than done. We are the same as everyone else, we also have emotions but our profession requires us to be skillful while dealing with our patients feelings (and ours!). In fact we have to let go of what we are going through in our personal lives because the well being of our patient is paramount. Whether it is losing a loved one, a broken marriage, or your child saying their first words, nothing can get in the way of patient care.
People think maybe we just get used to all the suffering, to all the life and death that happens around us each day. Well, let me tell you it does not become easier with each passing day. Not after 10 years, not after 20. We relive every emotion as though we experience it for the first time.
No one really teaches us how to deal with all these emotions. Med school gives us clinical knowledge and skills, life saving procedures but not a guide to our emotions. We learn how to deal with all these emotions the hard way. Sometimes, so overwhelmed by them, we can’t take it anymore. I guess this is one of the reasons for the rising incidence of depression and suicide among doctors and medical students.
May be this Doctor’s Day it is time for us to take a step back and hit the pause button in our emotion filled lives (obviously not if you’re performing CPR right now!). This doctor’s day let us gift ourselves this moment to feel and understand each emotion that life throws our way. Understanding our emotions will give us the power to use them to drive us forward. Let us take this moment to smile and pat ourselves on the back. After all it is not easy being a doctor.
Happy Doctors’ Day!
– Dr. Shreya Sodhani
-Dr. Rohit Nathani
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