I am taking a class called "Psychosocial Oncology" and today's lecture was about palliative care. The two instructors giving the lecture were what most people would consider in medicine to have opposing jobs. One had a doctorate and was a member of the spiritual care team, the other was a physician and the director of the acute-intensive palliative care unit. Together, they helped me to redefine my notions of adult palliative care, and I was astounded by their abilities to interconnect their roles. Needless to say, I learned a lot about the process of dying, both from a medical perspective and spiritual one.
5 things I learned today about dying:
1. 93% of palliative care patients ranked maintaining a sense of humour to the end as one of the most important things
2. 0.5% of people in Oregon choose physician assisted suicide despite it being a readily available option
3. Palliative Care physicians are often more influential and important in the life of a person who is dying than any of their "active treatment" physicians
4. Palliative Care medicine actually involves a lot of "real medicine," its not just about pain control
5. Most people who are dying have little desire to confess their sins or wrongdoings at the end, people do not consider them to be important to them any more.
When we were discussing the importance of physicians and members of the palliative care team to let down their barriers, show their emotions and connect with patients, this quote was on the slide:
"The doctor is effective only when he himself is affected. Only the wounded physician heals." - Carl Jung
I'm not sure how I have made it almost 21 years now with out ever seeing this quote from Carl Jung. I have been beginning to doubt whether or not I can make other well if I am not entirely free of illness myself. But I now feel again that strong sense of purpose, and what I guess you could label as "my calling" to medicine. I don't believe that everything happens for a reason, but I am grateful that this quote was on the slide today, it was exactly what I needed. Perhaps me being in pain, will allow me to heal somebody that others cannot.
I will someday be a Wounder Healer.
5 things I learned today about dying:
1. 93% of palliative care patients ranked maintaining a sense of humour to the end as one of the most important things
2. 0.5% of people in Oregon choose physician assisted suicide despite it being a readily available option
3. Palliative Care physicians are often more influential and important in the life of a person who is dying than any of their "active treatment" physicians
4. Palliative Care medicine actually involves a lot of "real medicine," its not just about pain control
5. Most people who are dying have little desire to confess their sins or wrongdoings at the end, people do not consider them to be important to them any more.
When we were discussing the importance of physicians and members of the palliative care team to let down their barriers, show their emotions and connect with patients, this quote was on the slide:
"The doctor is effective only when he himself is affected. Only the wounded physician heals." - Carl Jung
I'm not sure how I have made it almost 21 years now with out ever seeing this quote from Carl Jung. I have been beginning to doubt whether or not I can make other well if I am not entirely free of illness myself. But I now feel again that strong sense of purpose, and what I guess you could label as "my calling" to medicine. I don't believe that everything happens for a reason, but I am grateful that this quote was on the slide today, it was exactly what I needed. Perhaps me being in pain, will allow me to heal somebody that others cannot.
I will someday be a Wounder Healer.
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