My attending has been praying with a bunch of his patients in front of us. He personalizes it to the patient‘s diagnosis. He usually says something along the lines of “lord god, please look after your child/servant (name) during this trying time in his life. He is weak and his (lungs, whatever) are sick. Guide the hands of the staff taking care of him so he can return to the level of function that you intend for him, so he can enjoy his life and activities. Please heal him as you are the ultimate physician. We ask this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
He goes on much longer than that but I’ve forgotten most of it.
I agree with the person who said that most religious people will not knowingly make a non-religious person pray, but it has also been my experience that many (not all) deeply religious people are uncomfortable with healthcare providers who are also not religious, so telling them you don’t pray may destroy your relationship with the patient. I’ve had people straight up say that they don’t want a godless person touching them because if god is not guiding their hands, they are worried that they will have a bad outcome or die on the operating table if the atheist is a surgeon. Welcome to the South!
It’s much easier to just pray so you can get your job done without offending the patient. I agree to an extent that we should honor the wishes of a patient who doesn’t want an atheist touching them, but IMO this is easier to navigate as a hospital employee than a med student. Since many hospitals have a policy that you can’t or shouldn’t talk about religion with patients, you could get dinged in your eval for being inappropriate if you have to explain why the patient doesn’t want you taking care of them, as the patient should never find out what your beliefs are.