I am a new fifth year student. That means I’ve had less than two years clinical experience and I’m the bottom of the rung. Yet, I have not been sheltered from the complicated relationships between hospital staff.
All I have to say is lose the ego.
There is no place in medicine for anything but team work, knowing your part in the team and doing it well. We should be functioning as a well oiled machine to provide the best care we can give to our patients, but we’re not.
I have many stories, each student, doctor, nurse, porter, has stories. Stories of not being listened to, not being respected, not being appreciated and we all have stories of being on the other side, not listening, not respecting and not appreciating. This is not the place for those stories.
Medicine is a team effort, and if those working with patients cannot operate as such, then even with all the resources and money in the world we will always be giving subpar care.
Samantha C. Johnson