Alumni docs share the wisdom they’ve gained from those they’ve treated
Kindness and decency are independent of educational achievement or financial success.—David Moore ’78
Even when my advice may be medically sound and well-intentioned, it may not be right in a given situation for that particular family.—Jim Cumming ’61
I see people who are very elderly, very frail, they can’t do very much for themselves. You might look
at them and say, “What a life, I’d never live like that.” But I’ll ask them about their quality of life, they’ll say, “Well, it’s pretty good.” I’ll say, ‘You have all these problems, isn’t life a burden?’ “Oh no,” they tell me. “I have my kids, my grandkids, my family.” —Pat Healey ’76
When I was a medical student, I had a patient at the VA with a history of kidney cancer. He came to me to check on the results of some labs and a chest x-ray. I was lucky because, as a student, I had all the time in the world to spend with him (as opposed to the residents and physicians in the clinic). As I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do for him, he brought up a few other issues he had been having and I was able to explain the pathophysiology of his condition and describe some behavior modifications and medications that could help. He told me it was the best doctor’s appointment he’d ever had, and when I reminded him that I wasn’t a doctor yet, he said he didn’t care. I try to think of him often to remind myself how important it is to just listen.—Eric Shreve ’02
