"This is a great question and my answer is going to come from a time that I think about often in my work. Around five years ago, a patient didn't survive a very risky operation. Going into surgical prep with the patient, some members of my team were meeting with the family to let them know of all the risks involved with the surgery and reiterating the medical necessity for survival. After the patient passed, the surgeon and I met with the patient's family and we did everything we could to help them cope with the situation. Knowing that some of the family had traveled a great distance, my care team stepped up to help them find hotel accommodations for the night and to get them food in our hospital chapel. In the weeks that followed, we received a very nice care package on our unit and a beautiful thank you letter from the family. While a very unfortunate situation, it goes to show that a team effort filled with empathy can make even the most difficult situations warming to people."
