Potential problems you will face secondary essay help

[futureMD2321]

I'm writing a secondary essay that asks to address insight you've gained about a potential problem you will face as a physician and was wondering if my idea would be good. Thanks for any help!!

My idea is to write about how there can often be this tunnel vision on treating physical symptoms, which leaves the emotional side of things behind and unattended to. I had experience as a volunteer where I spoke with patients and there were a couple times where the patients complained of excessive emotional issues from living in the hospital. My main insight was really that physicians should focus on treating the whole patient and to care for them physically and emotionally as well. I also relate it to my own struggle in the hospital where I had a physician who spent time with me to build that strong connection how this is something I look up to as a future physician and hold as the ideal for how a physician should treat their patients.

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[Mr.Smile12]

1) What's the exact prompt and constraints?

2) I don't recommend shading physicians.

 

[futureMD2321]

1) What's the exact prompt and constraints?

2) I don't recommend shading physicians.

"Highlight your experiences in the healthcare field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician?" with 1800 character limit

That was my main concern, I didn't want it to sound like I was throwing shade on physicians and making them sound bad. I have a draft written and the way I framed it was by saying "there sometimes appears to be a struggle to address the emotional burdens..."

Do you think it would be better to frame it in a way that doesn't even mention other physicians/healthcare workers? If I said I had worked with patients and seen how their illness impacts their emotional state and as a physician I will need to know how to care for the whole patient and work to address these emotional problems as well as their physical ones

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Can you clarify what you mean by "emotional side" or "emotional burden"? I will assume you have a story/vignette to help you make this point? Do you have a positive example of a physician or healthcare provider who addressed this aspect? Shouldn't nurses or PA's field more of that burden in a hospital setting since they see an in-patient for longer during their stay?

In your shadowing, have you held conversations with the physicians about this topic?

 

[futureMD2321]

Can you clarify what you mean by "emotional side" or "emotional burden"? I will assume you have a story/vignette to help you make this point? Do you have a positive example of a physician or healthcare provider who addressed this aspect? Shouldn't nurses or PA's field more of that burden in a hospital setting since they see an in-patient for longer during their stay?

In your shadowing, have you held conversations with the physicians about this topic?

I mean the emotional struggle that can come from being admitted in the hospital (adjusting to life in hospital, being inside and not really having any freedom, dealing with illness while potentially away from friends and family).

I use a story from a patient I met who was explaining how difficult he was finding sleeping in the hospital and how he was caught in this cycle of constantly worrying about not sleeping, which only made his issue worse and it was creating this spiral. I then used an example from when I was admitted into the hospital and how I felt similar struggles (not being able to sleep and having it affect my mental health) and I developed a strong relationship with my physician which helped to alleviate some of my issues. I sort of took it in the sense that I wanted to use my role as a physician to essentially follow in those footsteps to also address the issue of emotional/mental health of my patients and build strong connections with them.

I agree it does sort of play into the nurse/PA role, but I felt that my relationship with my physician was really what helped me the most.

I also just thought of this, but what do you think about the idea of struggling to find a balance between being able to provide this care (the emotional care) for patients and time dedicated to each patient. When I was volunteering I would sit with some patients for hours on end talking with them to comfort them, but obviously this amount of time isn't possible as a physician. The main idea would I guess be wanting to provide this thorough level of emotional care, but knowing there will be time constraints that limit the amount of time I can spend with a patient without taking away time from other patients.

 

[LizzyM]

Certainly the problem is that physicians are trained to deal with physical ills and, with the exception of a few specialties, are not trained to focus on social and emotional suffering. How will you deal with a lack of expertise in the field of emotional suffering? Will you seek training? Will you learn to lean on other members of the care team who have that expertise?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

... The main idea would I guess be wanting to provide this thorough level of emotional care, but knowing there will be time constraints that limit the amount of time I can spend with a patient without taking away time from other patients.

I don't think you get paid to spend that extra time unless you go into "concierge care." Or Pharmacy. Time is money, which is why you get 7 minutes per patient.

 

[futureMD2321]

Certainly the problem is that physicians are trained to deal with physical ills and, with the exception of a few specialties, are not trained to focus on social and emotional suffering. How will you deal with a lack of expertise in the field of emotional suffering? Will you seek training? Will you learn to lean on other members of the care team who have that expertise?

I guess the way I was describing it was wrong. I don't necessarily mean directly focusing on emotional suffering, but rather understanding that there is an emotional component that comes with being admitted into the hospital and I guess my idea was more for the acknowledgement of this in my role as a physician. I know that my training is based on physical illness, but my main objective was to use these scenarios to describe my drive to not only view patients as such, but rather as people.

 

[LizzyM]

Can you acknowledge it and move on or mobilize other members of the team to help you help the patient? You don't know what you don't know yet, but there are roles for nurses, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, chaplains, and other team members who can make a patient more comfortable and less worried/lonely depending on the circumstances. It might be your role to assess and refer to another member of the team to help the patient's emotional pain.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

OP: Please don't take this the wrong way, but have you shadowed DO's? ND's? Are you applying to DO or ND schools?

 

[futureMD2321]

OP: Please don't take this the wrong way, but have you shadowed DO's? ND's? Are you applying to DO or ND schools?

I have only shadowed MD's and was only applying to MD schools