Advice from my Father: A brief personal note...

Dear Dad,

I have been very tired lately. I have been working long and stressful hours. However, I am trying very hard to spend time listening to my patients: On rounds each day, I shake their hand and sit at a chair or on the bed, as is feasible. These actions prevent me from rushing. I am trying to be a better doctor.

When I was a medical student doing a rotation in Obstetrics, the hours were long and I was exhausted. I complained to you about having to get up in the middle of the night and do deliveries. I spoke about how I cared little about seeing another human being brought into the world. The details of the conversation escape me now. Some days later you gave me a hand written note. It is somewhere in my personal things and I wish I had it with me now. Nevertheless, the message was: That to me it was just another delivery, but to the parents of this baby, this was the most important moment of their lives; I should not forget this when doing "just another delivery".

I believe that this advice applies to all patients. To me, it is just another CABG or another mitral valve repair or another whatever. To the patient, it is the event of a lifetime. I am trying to follow your advice. I am trying to be a better doctor.

Thank-you, Dad. I love you,

Your son