How do you handle patient tragedy?

[Pemulis]

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Hi, this is my first post on this board, although I've been reading for a while. I'm 27 and thinking of going back to school for medicine, and I have a question which I haven't seen addressed much in this forum. Basically, I find medicine COMPLETELY fascinating, and I think I could be a good Doctor, but I am a bit concerned about how I would handle situations like telling somebody they were going to die soon, or having to deal with the parents of a terminally ill child. I was hoping some of you could give me your perspectives on this kind of situation: do you just get used to it after a while? Do you find that your patients take this sort of thing courageously more often than not? Does it wear you down? I'm not sure which forum to post this in, but if any of you have some experiences to share I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[southerndoc]

You handle it the same way you do now. When a loved one dies, how do you react?

This is sad to say, and many will deny it, but you sort of become immune to it after a while. Occasionally a particular patient will strike home.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Closing this thread since its active on the Gen residency issues forum...