High stress situations, like those commonly found in hospitals, can heighten the intensity of emotional responses. Patients and doctors alike often demonstrate extreme patience and kindness or, increasing levels of irritability and impatience. Doctors and nurses must often remind themselves that though this is a normal day in their life, it is a terrifying, out of the ordinary day in the patient’s life. Even if a patient may never remember your name, they will remember the way you made them feel on one of their worst days. Whether they remember you as incredibly hostile or incredibly kind, it is important to remember that your actions matter and affect the people around you. Volunteering at a hospital, it is easy for me to observe the way doctors, nurses, janitors, and patients all treat each other. Even just small things like offering to move trash, asking how their day is going, or listening when other people talk, can all affect a person more than we will ever know. Witnessing all types of different interactions as neither a patient nor a doctor has truly highlighted the type of person I want to be in and out of medical facilities. No one is perfect, but trying our best to be the kindest version of ourselves, we can affect people in more ways than we know.
Menu
