“Your job as a doctor is to be a superb follower, not a strong leader. Your relationship with a patient is like a dance. The body will tell you what is wrong and where it is hurting if you listen. Learn to be a great listener with more than just your ears. Let the patient lead you and you will be successful.”
Dr. Judith O’Connell shared some of her wisdom at Convocation in Orlando this year that sparked my interest. As a first year medical student, I have been taught how to ask questions, how to do physical exams, how to diagnose, and how to treat but never how to listen with something other than my ears. After wrestling with this idea and asking many questions, I began to understand her metaphor. Listening with your fingers via palpation is just as important if not more important than listening with your ears. Understanding this complex concept is merely a fraction of the battle as I attempted to practice this idea under the supervision of professionals.
So how did they master it? Obviously practice makes perfect but if you aren't one with your own body, how could you possibly understand someone else's dysfunctional body? One of the foundational tenants of osteopathy is treating mind, body, and spirit. I have discovered that it is not only difficult to treat that way, but also hypocritical if you don't first master your own body, mind, and spirit. Take time to understand how you function and operate before trying to treat someone else.
I realized that Dr. O’Connell sent a challenge and a pearl of wisdom in the same lecture. Master your own body, mind, and spirit so you can treat others. Listen with your ears and fingers because the patient will tell you what is dysfunctional. Finally, practice your dancing because you will be dancing your entire career!