Indexing Title: BCDEVEZA’s Medical Anecdotal Report [ 05 – 9]
MAR Title: An Encounter with Arrogance
Date of Medical Observation: September 2005
Narration
Unpredictable things can happen in one’s tour of duty. You really never know what to expect. More often than not, the situations that you get into would put you to the test.It could make or break you, depending on how you handle it.
It was almost midnight when I came down to the emergency room. I just finished an operation. There were a few patients at that time. I was called by my senior resident to attend to this patient. He was a 28- year-old male who sustained a gunshot wound at the lateral aspect of the left forearm. He was stable and was very talkative.I was asked to do debridement on the wound. I prepared the materials and after a while, I started the procedure. He was conversant and would ask questions with regards to the work I do. At that point, I sensed that he was alcoholic breath. The procedure went smoothly until at one point, he complained of pain. So I decided to add some more anesthesia. But before doing so, he said, “Ayusin mo yang ginagawa mo ha. Hindi mo ba alam na pulis ako. Gusto mo ipadampot kita” He even looked at my uniform and called me by my first name. Somehow, I felt helpless. I did not say anything negative. I just continued what I was doing until I finished it.
Insights (Physical, Psychosocial, Ethical) (Discovery, Stimulus, Reinforcements):
The patients we encounter everyday are a source of learning. Most of them, if not all, give us experiences that would somehow help us in becoming stronger and better persons. We may react differently but what matters is that we learn something from it.
It is important that we stay focused and be in control of the situation. As professionals, we should handle it with enough understanding and patience.
Whenever we are faced by arrogance, I would say that it is still wise that we face it with reason and humility.