Your hand and fingers will become very sensitive to the feeling of pressure from a collection of pus , an abscess and tension in the surrounding tissues .
You will one day recognize the rippling , like a minnow slipping under your fingers , when you skim lightly over a chain of enlarged lymph nodes , or the shocking rock-hard firmness of a cancerous tumor at your fingertips .
You ’ ll know the feel of a liver made firm by alcoholic scarring , a spleen enlarged by a blood disorder , a tender kidney or an inflamed appendix .
Your touch may become the most powerful healing skill you develop . Even in a mental health care setting , a compassionate “ laying on of hands ” is a profound way to bestow the blessing of comfort , peace and healing .
There are so many ways to reach out with your mind and senses to help the body , mind and spirit of another :
Instruments help visualize and measure inside the eyes , throat , lungs and every other part of the body ; using lenses , mirrors , fiber-optics , catheters and electrodes ;
- using electro-magnetic waves : electrocardiogram ( EKG ), electroencephalogram ( EEG ), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging ( NMR or MRI ), X-ray , fluoroscopy , computerized tomography ( CT ) and positron emission tomography ;
- using monitors and sampling of fluids to understand body composition , function and dysfunction .
Other special instruments allow altering , repairing and replacing tissues and organs by skilled use of hands , of endoscopic tools and robotic assisted devices .
Knowing when and how to administer fluids , chemicals , life-support devices and medications is a vital interventional skill .
A most powerful way you will reach out to help others is with your words :
- to educate and motivate — so a lifestyle can be altered for better health and welfare ;
- to calm and comfort — so a difficult situation can be endured ; - to inform and guide — so a critical decision can be made ;
- to build a friendly and trusting relationship — so they will have a foundation of hope , should future health issues occur .
The most difficult thing to learn is how much you do not know , how much you cannot control and how easily you can make a mistake .
You must learn what you do know and when you need to ask for advice ;
- to gratefully accept the role of being simply a team member , not always the captain ;
- to support and encourage the other team members while readily accepting their support .
If you start on the path of becoming a health care professional , multiple opportunities to grow your understanding and skills will open up to you . Just as launching a rocket into orbit is a multi-step , multi-stage process , so it happens as one becomes a practicing physician , dentist , nurse or therapist . At each stage along the way you are taught , tutored , mentored and guided until you are able to function independently .
But even when you finish your formal training , you are never really independent . Many layers of teamwork are still present , including your own partners , office and hospital supporting staff , colleagues in your field and other specialists . You will do continuing education and reflect critically on your own performance . All these stages and layers of support and guidance can be undergirded and directed by a prayerful daily walk with the One who created us , the mysterious ultimate source of healing and comfort .
There will be stress along the way — personal stress , stress on your family and professional stress . Every health care professional , especially every doctor , is wise to establish an ongoing relationship with a counselor , psychologist or psychiatrist . This help is readily available to doctors and other health care professionals . Self-doubt , anxiety , burn-out , depression , moral injury , marital problems and other interpersonal conflicts are common pitfalls . Dealing with these issues with professional help can make all the difference to bolster a successful and fulfilling career .
Could you be a doctor or other health care professional ? Almost everyone can … if they feel led to do so and are persistent . Should you be a doctor or other health care professional ? Almost everyone should consider it as an option . Pray for guidance , ask for advice from those you trust and make good decisions at every stage of the journey , not closing any options until the time to exclude that option has passed . Being a health care professional can offer opportunities and fulfillment beyond your imagination .
Dr . Hoffman is retired after practicing for 35 years as an internist and diabetes specialist in Louisville .
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