What was your most memorable/resonant shadowing experience?

[texan2414]

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Hey,

I'll share mine. I was rounding with the neurologist at the Stroke Unit and we encountered a 95 y/o patient with a massive hemorrhagic stroke. As we entered to inform the poor prognosis and end of life care, my eyes met with the concerned family members gathered in the room. I watched the energy sapped from them as we delivered the unfortunate news. I couldn't help but recall 2 years ago when my mother got diagnosed with breast cancer and how painful that experience was. Surely, an illness of a loved one is extremely haunting and tragic.

I've had some other experiences while shadowing in E.R. as well, including a young man who was stabbed in the eye with a knife. He was just at the cusp of life and you could hear the crying, shouting family members in the background. Such experiences have only made me a more stronger person and I was fortunate to have experiences that exposed me to realities of medicine.

Now I give you a chance to share your memorable experiences that caused you to reflect on why you want to pursue medicine. They don't all have to be tragic and unfortunate like mine lol. I didn't get a chance to shadow pediatrics and I bet that would've made for some exciting moments as well.

Share away...

 

[Gandyy]

I would, but I"m pretty fed up about writing about experiences in these secondaries I'm pre-writing. lol.

 

[deleted393595]

I've had some other experiences while shadowing in E.R. as well, including a young man who was stabbed in the eye with a knife. He was just at the cusp of life and you could hear the crying, shouting family members in the background.

Eye would hate that to be me.

 

[efle]

Guillain-Barre syndrome is pretty rare, 1-2 cases per 100,000 people, and of those that get it the vast majority make an eventual full recovery. I was shadowing a neurologist when he had a visit from one of the extremely unlucky few who had gotten it and been left confined to a wheelchair with nearly total paralysis. The guy was probably late 20s. He was one of the most overpoweringly friendly, happy patients I saw. Really stuck with me to see how even something that just seemed like God ripping away the rest of their life at random was no barrier to positivity. He's sort of become a symbol in my head to remember that nothing can stop you from feeling good unless you let it.

Another couple came from working as a tutor at the childrens hospital. A young girl in for her umpteenth neurosurgery had a related learning disability and was so hard on herself whenever she couldn't do a problem. She knew she was struggling with things people her age had mastered years ago and her self esteem was in shreds because of it. Working with her really showed me why the ability to comfort and encourage is so critically important in the staff at the childrens hospital.

One of the hardest was seeing a young man who reminded me of myself from a few years earlier in late high school. He had suffered some brain damage and been in the hospital for a while. We weren't sure what type of work would suit him and I quickly found out that he now was struggling with early elementary school arithmetic. His mother was in the room while we were working and you could just sense the sorrow radiating from her. Can't say why but this one hit a lot harder than some objectively worse ones, almost like losing identity that way seemed worse than losing life. We can't take these minds that will let us pursue medicine or anything else for granted

Don't know that any of these kinds of moments make one want to go into medicine. The moments where these types of things get prevented might make you want to go in. This stuff just teaches you a little bit about what sickness can do to people and their families in so many ways

 

[HCHopeful]

Hey,

I'll share mine. I was rounding with the neurologist at the Stroke Unit and we encountered a 95 y/o patient with a massive hemorrhagic stroke. As we entered to inform the poor prognosis and end of life care, my eyes met with the concerned family members gathered in the room. I watched the energy sapped from them as we delivered the unfortunate news. I couldn't help but recall 2 years ago when my mother got diagnosed with breast cancer and how painful that experience was. Surely, an illness of a loved one is extremely haunting and tragic.

I've had some other experiences while shadowing in E.R. as well, including a young man who was stabbed in the eye with a knife. He was just at the cusp of life and you could hear the crying, shouting family members in the background. Such experiences have only made me a more stronger person and I was fortunate to have experiences that exposed me to realities of medicine.

Now I give you a chance to share your memorable experiences that caused you to reflect on why you want to pursue medicine. They don't all have to be tragic and unfortunate like mine lol. I didn't get a chance to shadow pediatrics and I bet that would've made for some exciting moments as well.

Share away...

Man. You must be hella strong 😉

(See Bolded)

 

[HCHopeful]

On a serious note, I haven't had a very resonant shadowing experience. The most important thing I've taken away from my time shadowing is simply discovering how closely I identify with the field of medicine. What I mean to say is that it's the only thing I think I'd be truly happy doing.

I can't point to a specific shadowing experience when I just "knew" this, but as time went on I began to see that it was the right fit.

 

[texan2414]

Guillain-Barre syndrome is pretty rare, 1-2 cases per 100,000 people, and of those that get it the vast majority make an eventual full recovery. I was shadowing a neurologist when he had a visit from one of the extremely unlucky few who had gotten it and been left confined to a wheelchair with nearly total paralysis. The guy was probably late 20s. He was one of the most overpoweringly friendly, happy patients I saw. Really stuck with me to see how even something that just seemed like God ripping away the rest of their life at random was no barrier to positivity. He's sort of become a symbol in my head to remember that nothing can stop you from feeling good unless you let it.

Another couple came from working as a tutor at the childrens hospital. A young girl in for her umpteenth neurosurgery had a related learning disability and was so hard on herself whenever she couldn't do a problem. She knew she was struggling with things people her age had mastered years ago and her self esteem was in shreds because of it. Working with her really showed me why the ability to comfort and encourage is so critically important in the staff at the childrens hospital.

One of the hardest was seeing a young man who reminded me of myself from a few years earlier in late high school. He had suffered some brain damage and been in the hospital for a while. We weren't sure what type of work would suit him and I quickly found out that he now was struggling with early elementary school arithmetic. His mother was in the room while we were working and you could just sense the sorrow radiating from her. Can't say why but this one hit a lot harder than some objectively worse ones, almost like losing identity that way seemed worse than losing life. We can't take these minds that will let us pursue medicine or anything else for granted

Don't know that any of these kinds of moments make one want to go into medicine. The moments where these types of things get prevented might make you want to go in. This stuff just teaches you a little bit about what sickness can do to people and their families in so many ways

Neuro was probably my most favorite shadowing rotation as well!!! Reminds me of the book I read "The Man Who Mistook his Wife for Hat".
Fascinating field!!

 

[texan2414]

On a serious note, I haven't had a very resonant shadowing experience. The most important thing I've taken away from my time shadowing is simply discovering how closely I identify with the field of medicine. What I mean to say is that it's the only thing I think I'd be truly happy doing.

I can't point to a specific shadowing experience when I just "knew" this, but as time went on I began to see that it was the right fit.

There's rarely a singular experience that makes that light bulb pop. For a majority of premeds, its a culmination of various experiences that solidify your motivation to become a physician.
I'm glad you identified closely with medicine- it validated your motivation and passion to enter the field.

 

[Lannister]

I was volunteering at the hospital today and I talked to a patient who was 30 years old, but he was dying because he'd spent the last 15 years doing drugs and drinking. I always say that I don't really feel bad for people like that because they've made their own bad choices. But talking to him was just really sad, and I did feel bad for him. I really hope he can turn his life around.

In terms of shadowing, I spent a lot of time shadowing in Chile, where they have a form of universal healthcare. In theory it sounded like a great system, but then you go to the public hospitals and the conditions are complete ****. They have these rooms where patients are literally sitting on the floors with their IVs because they don't have enough beds. They don't even give them food, the patients' families have to feed them. One doctor told us that a lot of people who live around that area end up needlessly dying, because they have a medical emergency during the night but they're too afraid to go to the hospital because leaving their house at night could mean getting shot.

 

[whitemagic]

I was volunteering at the hospital today and I talked to a patient who was 30 years old, but he was dying because he'd spent the last 15 years doing drugs and drinking. I always say that I don't really feel bad for people like that because they've made their own bad choices. But talking to him was just really sad, and I did feel bad for him. I really hope he can turn his life around.

In terms of shadowing, I spent a lot of time shadowing in Chile, where they have a form of universal healthcare. In theory it sounded like a great system, but then you go to the public hospitals and the conditions are complete ****. They have these rooms where patients are literally sitting on the floors with their IVs because they don't have enough beds. They don't even give them food, the patients' families have to feed them. One doctor told us that a lot of people who live around that area end up needlessly dying, because they have a medical emergency during the night but they're too afraid to go to the hospital because leaving their house at night could mean getting shot.

Damn. The things we take for granted.

 

[Lannister]

Damn. The things we take for granted.

I know, right? And this was Santiago, the capitol of the most developed country in South America. So I am sure it's so much worse in certain areas of northern SA and Central America.

 

[jagster92]

With a family practice doc and visited a patient who was a former athlete, ran everyday and one day got hit by a driver with alzheimers during his lunchtime run. He's a paraplegic now but still has a lot of vigor left in him and doesn't let that keep him from not being as active as he can be. Crazy thing is this guy used to work in the same building that I lived in during college, and ran the same routes that I do. This really struck me bc I knew this could easily have been me. And the next patient we saw was one with alzheimers. The doc said he hates taking away someone's drivers license because it really limits their livelihood but when u see pts like the one earlier who were permanently injured by someone who shouldn't be driving, it's an incredibly challenging dilemma.

 

[RedPhys]

My experiences with patients telling me I need to become a doctor so I'm not just simply interpreting for the doctor.