What should a Physician and a Samaritan have in common with a hospital ship called "The MERCY"?
Reading a little bit of every subject can help one develop a better understanding of human
nature and develop the art of being knowledgable -- even being disagreable with persons who do not
look like you or think like you.
Although most practicing clinicians tend to be the Sons and Daughters of financially and economically stable parents, the nature of your profession sooner or later will place you in an exam room with a patient who did not and will likely never live your experience.
Photo by Pavan Trikutam on Unsplash
I learned about incest by reading the DSM 5 but also reading Genesis 19:30-38.
I not only lived with alcoholism, learned about about alcoholism from AA, but I read Genesis
9:21.
Not only did a relative of mine die as the victim of being hit by a drunk driver and another
relative of mine committed suicide, but I read Exodus chapters 11-12 where a death angel killed
the
first born children of Egypt and there was a person named Sampson in the bible who was allowed
to
commit suicide.
Then I read an article about how to develop great bedside manner with patients, but a more
impressive story about developing great bedside manner was written by a Physician named LUKE
titled "The good Samaritan". Luke 10:25-37.
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We develop empathy not by being granted a license "To practice", but we develop empathy when like the ship MERCY and the good samaritan, we can stop by a place and attend to the fallen patient nobody wanted because they did not grow up like us, but we learned to show MERCY even though the fallen man was unconcious with a low GCS. SHOW MERCY.
Photo by Dr. Colin Ross