just:words

One example of how our STEM fields desperately need the influence of the humanities: it’s dehumanizing to doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals to put up with the expectation that their professional detachment can protect them from the human toll of caring for the sick.  Our health care system seems masterfully built to grind down both doctors and patients.

Good read – this hit the NYT about a week ago. I’m behind. 🙂

The most draining aspect of medical training, it turns out, is not long hours, brash colleagues or steep learning curves — it’s the feeling that you’re often unable to be there with and for your patients in the way you want, in the way you’d always imagined you would be.

via The Importance of Sitting With Patients – NYTimes.com.