2023 RICHARD SPEAR , MD , MEMORIAL ESSAY CONTEST Practicing & Life Member Category Winner
Each year , GLMS invites physicians , residents and medical students to take part in the Richard Spear , MD , Memorial Essay Contest . This year , we asked our members to write on the topic “ The Best Part of My Day .” We asked our members to take some time to reflect and tell us about the best part of their day , the parts that truly make them smile and bring them happiness . We received many excellent entries and plan to share several honorable mentions over the next few months . While reading , we hope that these essays remind you of the seemingly insignificant , but often truly magical , parts of your day that can actually be the best . Please enjoy the two winning essays which were judged anonymously and without bias .
2023 RICHARD SPEAR , MD , MEMORIAL ESSAY CONTEST Practicing & Life Member Category Winner
THE GIFT by VALERIE BRIONES-PRYOR , MD
It had been one of those days - a day where nothing seemed to go smoothly , and every plan was derailed . I was only a few hours into my 12-hour hospital medicine shift and was already running behind . At the rate I was going , I wouldn ’ t have everyone seen before multidisciplinary rounds , and I hated not having a plan for every patient on the floor .
I tried to pick up my pace and had been doing pretty well with getting caught up , but I hadn ’ t seen HIM yet . I was saving HIM for last . HIM was the patient in room 250 who had been here for almost a week , and to say he was not pleasant was a compliment to him . HIM was Mr . Smith , who is an 80-year-old war veteran with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ) who was admitted with pneumonia and an acute COPD exacerbation . He was usually on oxygen at home , but was now needing high amounts of oxygen , so much that he needed BiPAP at night to even out his numbers . He also needed a skilled nursing facility for sub-acute rehabilitation , but his high oxygen requirement had postponed that plan and he could not go back to his home where he lives alone . So , he had been hanging out with me for the week while we worked on weaning his oxygen requirement down , and he had made it clear that he was not happy with anything , including me .
I reached his door , looked at my watch and took a deep breath before I knocked .
“ Good morning , Mr . Smith , it ’ s Dr . Briones-Pryor , your Hospital Doctor .” I slapped on a smile under my mask as I walked through the door .
“ Who the hell are you again ?”
I repeated my name and said slowly , “ I ’ m your hospital doctor . I ’ ve been seeing you for the past few days .”
“ I thought you were the nurse . What do you want ?”
I went on to explain that I was there to check on him , to examine him and see if he needed anything , though I cringed a bit when asking him that last question since that always triggered a barrage of complaints .
“ I ’ ll tell you what I need . I need to get out of this hellhole . It ’ s worse than ‘ Nam . The food is crap . The nurses don ’ t know anything . The aide doesn ’ t know anything . Do you even know anything ?”
And before I knew it , I blurted , “ I know you ’ re being an ass .”
I felt the world stop for just a second and right when I was about to start apologizing for my comment , there it was . It started with a little grunt , but then his mouth started to widen , and the corners turned upwards . Next thing I knew , I saw a few teeth missing , but there it was , a smile . He started to chuckle , and his eyes brightened .
18 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE