The Woman I Don’t Want To Be

Medical education is as much what to do as what not to.  Colleagiality is important; healthcare providers work just as much with each other as with patients and families.  Here are three observations of what I hope never to do:

– The physician assistant (PA) who is flatly uninterested in what her teammates think is ethically right.

– The nurse who speaks complains about an intern who “took too long” to place a line, though never to his face.

– The attending physician (from a different service) who reproves a resident for a mistake in front of the rest of his team, ignoring any discretion or social etiquette.

To these people, I say teach me, don’t embarrass me or disregard the fact that I am still learning.  We are here to improve patient’s care, not to be unkind to our teammates.