Something Surprising

When I began my internship process, I never expected to make strong connections with many of the patients. Throughout these last two weeks, I have met dozens of patients, but a few have extended some of their knowledge to me. During the first week, I met all of the regular weekly patients. I became more comfortable with the ones who scheduled once or twice a week, so I began talking to them more regularly. One of the patients has sought me out specifically during their rehab process. We talk about a handful of topics encompassing many major sports teams, the show on the clinic's television, and even our favorite foods and candies. I didn’t expect the patients to be as radiant as I have seen in the last two weeks. It makes my experience so much more enjoyable when I can talk and joke with the patients and they reciprocate my actions. Outside of the typical conversations, I have had more impactful discussions with some patients. One patient in particular extended some helpful advice to me today. This person has a few children. Also, they have experienced a lot of different situations concerning their kids. I am currently juggling a difficult personal situation, and this patient kindly gave me some insight into her children and their experiences surrounding the same situation. I walk away from these conversations with a new perspective because all of these people have much more life experience than myself and their advice helps ease my mind because they know how the situations end. Working with the patients at Cardinal has been so fulfilling because they enjoy having another friendly face at the clinic, and I get to hear all their helpful life advice.


Comments

  1. BrandtMay 26, 2023 at 7:50 AM

    Glad to hear about your ability to connect with patients on a different level. Developing your interpersonal skills is an important part of the process, especially working in that type of field.

    ReplyDelete

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