Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Perspective is everything

In my white coat
Talking to a family
About their options
     for discharge, for goals, for support at home
Defining my expectations
Directing them down a path

In my white coat
Reviewing the med list
Stopping and starting drugs
    without a backward glance
Meeting criteria and guidelines
Documenting reasons for not

In my white coat
Making medical decisions
Based on my understanding
     of the patient's understanding, the family's
Coordinating other providers
Discussing with social services

How different when you shed the white coat

In my grey sweatshirt
Listening to a doctor
About my loved ones options
   for discharge, for goals, for support at home
Hearing their expecations
Disbelieving of the path

In my grey sweatshirt
Hearing the med list
And it's many, many changes
   trying to remember, to understand
Ignoring criteria and guidelines
Stopping the intolerable side effects

In my grey sweatshirt
Making medical decisions
Based on my understanding
   of the provider, of the person, of my family
Coordinating care because
As family and provider both
     I know more than I want to.

1 comment:

  1. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!
    (Who would have known you are a poet, too!)

    ReplyDelete