Abstract
Opinion ON MY MIND Practicing medicine is full of firsts: the first time some- breath—for myself and for the child—and entered the Lauren Rissman, MD Children’s Hospital one calls you “doctor” and the first time a patient thanks room. I explained that I was going to do a physical ex- Los Angeles, you for saving their life. After those moments, you leave amination. I listened to his empty chest for a full 2 min- Los Angeles, California. the hospital remembering...
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Opinion ON MY MIND Practicing medicine is full of firsts: the first time some- breath—for myself and for the child—and entered the Lauren Rissman, MD Children’s Hospital one calls you “doctor” and the first time a patient thanks room. I explained that I was going to do a physical ex- Los Angeles, you for saving their life. After those moments, you leave amination. I listened to his empty chest for a full 2 min- Los Angeles, California. the hospital remembering why you went into medi- utes, felt no pulse for a full 2 minutes, attempted to con- cine. You like to help people. Sometimes that means cur- strict his pupils, and pinched his shoulder blades without ing or easing someone’s suffering. Sometimes that eliciting a flinch. Then, I called time of death. I apolo- means helping families cope with terminal conditions. gizedforthefamily’slossbutcouldnotfathomwhatthey You want to save the world 1 person at a time. And then, had been through. of course, there’s the first time you call time of death. After that, I took a moment to cry and call my fam- ily to tell them I love them. I brought together the nurs- I remember every moment leading up
JAMA Pediatrics – American Medical Association
Published: Nov 5, 2017
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