You can't be a doctor if you don't have patients. Plain and simple. Luckily, this week, I have actually started to interact with some! Due to obvious privacy policies, I can't give a ton of specifics. BUT I can say that I got take part in interviewing a cystic fibrosis patient about the "patient experience" on Tuesday.
Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that primarily affects the lungs and pancreas. It creates a mucus layer on the surface of the lungs that makes breathing difficult. Unfortunately, though much progress has been made, the median age at death for CF patients is 35-38 years old.
Getting to interact with a CF patient, hearing the stories of doctors visits, and trying to understand the perspective of the one receiving care was extremely meaningful.
It's so important for me to keep in mind over the next four years that no matter what science I have to learn or which test is coming up, I am ultimately here to help other people. I am here for my future patients. I'm grateful that my medical school makes that such an obvious lesson from the beginning. It would be so easy to jump right into anatomy and get lost in memorization, but the time spent reflecting on those we will ultimately be serving is well worth it.
I have two more patient experiences this week. Tomorrow, I will get to meet diabetes patients and on Friday HIV/AIDS patients.
I also have some significant updates on my emotional public health experience today - look for that entry tomorrow.
Until then,
Brittany
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