{"id":3719,"date":"2016-12-09T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feminem.org\/?p=3719"},"modified":"2016-12-03T14:35:36","modified_gmt":"2016-12-03T19:35:36","slug":"compassion-dirty-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feminem.org\/2016\/12\/09\/compassion-dirty-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Compassion a Dirty Word?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Could \u201ccompassion\u201d be a dirty word?<\/p>\n

Why do I\u00a0think working in healthcare is not \u201cjust a job?\u201d<\/p>\n

In the context of a tribalistic exchange about which discipline in medicine is the hardest working (and hardest done by), a colleague and mentor referred to a recent thought-provoking article<\/a> by Louis Profeta\u00a0.<\/p>\n

In it, Dr Profeta makes a number of assertions, many of which resonate comfortably with me.\u00a0 But there are a few statements which, while not offended in the slightest, I have been battling to reconcile since I read the article some days ago.\u00a0 The fact that I am still ruminating on them prompted me to put my thoughts into writing.<\/p>\n

I have trouble with the concept that compassion<\/em> may be more of a liability than an asset.\u00a0 But then again that may be why I suffered a version of burnout as a second\u00a0year trainee, and Dr Profeta has managed to practice for nearly 25 years without experiencing this emotional exhaustion.\u00a0 It is tempting to wear a burnout experience as a badge of honour.\u00a0 Indeed, soon after my experience, I reacted in typical Type A fashion and informally researched the topic, happily validated to discover that it is a condition most likely to affect high achievers.<\/p>\n

The Latin root for compassion<\/em> is indeed co-suffering, but the meaning we derive from this word is more closely associated with that in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: a sympathetic consciousness of others\u2019 distress together with the desire to alleviate it.<\/p>\n

Yet I agree that boundaries and separation are important.<\/p>\n

An intensivist friend of mine was debriefing with me after a rough day.\u00a0 She described leaving a family discussion about a 20 year-old man who had sustained an unsurvivable head injury.\u00a0 As they departed the relatives room, a junior doctor asked her \u201cHow do you cope with all this \u2013 this loss and grief?\u201d<\/p>\n

She told me that she turned to him and responded firmly \u201cThat feeling that you\u2019re feeling \u2013 that overwhelming sense of sadness for the man and for his family?\u00a0 You take that feeling and you put it in a box and you shut the lid firmly.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t do that, this job will destroy you\u201d.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is not wrong.\u00a0 For some of us this works \u2013 it has to.\u00a0 But for others, the box starts to burgeon and eventually the lid cracks open and the \u201cstuff\u201d spills out.\u00a0 I think that we need to work out what works for us, and we do this over time, by trial and error.\u00a0 Sharing our experiences is important.<\/p>\n

Dr Profeta\u2019s assertion that the bartender\u2019s job<\/em>\u00a0is equivalent to that of doctor\u2019s blurs value of role versus value of self.\u00a0 The fact that the bartender is a dedicated and hard working father does not change the merit of the job he does.\u00a0 Sure, he is a spectacular human being, but this doesn\u2019t mean that pouring drinks is equivalent to administering adrenaline in anaphylaxis.\u00a0 Neither does it mean that the doctor is more of a hero than the bartender.<\/p>\n

The stakes in health care are unarguably higher, particularly for the decision maker.\u00a0 The wrong drug, dose or route can have devastating consequences.\u00a0 Serving up the wrong draught of beer is more forgivable.\u00a0 But this compares the merit of the two\u00a0roles<\/em>, not the two people.<\/p>\n

With the privilege of practicing medicine comes prestige and, typically, renumeration. It also comes with gratification and a sense of contribution. It is, thus, far from altruistic.\u00a0 And it\u2019s true that it\u2019s what we signed up for.\u00a0 But while we may not merit reward or recognition beyond those listed above, it\u2019s okay for us to derive support and comfort from our peers, to share our stories and our humanity.<\/p>\n

I also agree that it is a personal or family crisis that will likely remind us of our priorities, and lead to the discovery that working in medicine does not take precedence over other aspects of our lives.<\/p>\n

A late and revered colleague of mine returned from his first bout of treatment with the attitude that he wouldn\u2019t sit in a meeting longer than it was worth.\u00a0 His synopsis was \u201cI don\u2019t know how much time I have left.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to waste it in here\u201d.\u00a0 Certainly, his terminal illness changed his approach and perspective to his work.<\/p>\n

He continued, however, to contribute to our emergency department until he passed away, conducting tutorials at his own bedside days before he finally left us.\u00a0 Without a doubt, his passion was his family, but he had enough to extend his energies into the work and people he loved.<\/p>\n

I agree that working in medicine is not our life, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s just a job either.<\/p>\n

Certainly we all have colleagues for whom it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0\u201cjust a job\u201d and those who put a little or a lot more into it.\u00a0 The latter aren\u2019t bigger heroes than the former.\u00a0 But what I do know for sure, however, are the ones with whom I most like to work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Could \u201ccompassion\u201d be a dirty word? Why do I\u00a0think working in healthcare is not \u201cjust a job?\u201d In the context of a tribalistic exchange about which discipline in medicine is the hardest working (and hardest done by), a colleague and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":3720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"Is Compassion a Dirty Word? @ShahinaBraganza reflects on why it isn't. #FFF","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[5],"tags":[33,152],"coauthors":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs Compassion a Dirty Word? - FemInEM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/feminem.org\/2016\/12\/09\/compassion-dirty-word\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Compassion a Dirty Word? - FemInEM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Could \u201ccompassion\u201d be a dirty word? 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