Beginning Exposure to a Doctor-Patient Relationship
Posted Sep 01 2011 12:00am
The first day in the clinic: My hands were shaking, my voice was shaking, I was forgetful, I had no idea where anything was in the offices, I have never met any of my patients before, and I was unsure of myself.
The last day of clinic: My hands were steady, my voice was steady, I could recall information at the drop of a hat, I knew where the equipment was for performing procedures, I knew my patients, and have formed a lasting bond with all of them. And each and every patient that I had been seeing for successive follow-up visits, gave me a hug on my last shift. Definitely a bittersweet experience.
The beauty of my physical medicine shift was that I followed the same patient through treatments every single week. I could physically see their improvement, as well as in their moods, as well as in their lab results. It was nice to have follow-up visits. It was amazing to form a relationship, so by the end of the weeks in my clinic shift, patients and I could joke and laugh and exchange stories during treatment. After, of course, all the paperwork had been completed.
I will always value that opportunity that my supervisor gave me. I was able to perform constitutional hydrotherapy, muscle energy stretching, testosterone injections, peat baths, ultrasound, cold laser, etc. But most importantly, I was exposed to forming a doctor-patient relationship.
The first day in the clinic: My hands were shaking, my voice was shaking, I was forgetful, I had no idea where anything was in the offices, I have never met any of my patients before, and I was unsure of myself.
The last day of clinic: My hands were steady, my voice was steady, I could recall information at the drop of a hat, I knew where the equipment was for performing procedures, I knew my patients, and have formed a lasting bond with all of them. And each and every patient that I had been seeing for successive follow-up visits, gave me a hug on my last shift. Definitely a bittersweet experience.
The beauty of my physical medicine shift was that I followed the same patient through treatments every single week. I could physically see their improvement, as well as in their moods, as well as in their lab results. It was nice to have follow-up visits. It was amazing to form a relationship, so by the end of the weeks in my clinic shift, patients and I could joke and laugh and exchange stories during treatment. After, of course, all the paperwork had been completed.
I will always value that opportunity that my supervisor gave me. I was able to perform constitutional hydrotherapy, muscle energy stretching, testosterone injections, peat baths, ultrasound, cold laser, etc. But most importantly, I was exposed to forming a doctor-patient relationship.