My White Coat Experience –
A Reminder of Our Shared Humanity
In fifth grade , my best friend ’ s dad came in for Career Day , and I was in awe of his life-saving work . I told my parents over dinner that night that I was going to follow in his footsteps and become a neurosurgeon . I spent hours memorizing the details of each slide that came with the microscope I asked for that Christmas . With unwavering commitment , I sailed through AP biology five years later as a high school sophomore . And then two events in my junior year changed everything . The first was barely surviving chemistry class , for which I had no talent or interest . The second was an igniting of the political activism genes from my dad ’ s side as I became engaged with current events . I met the infamous Bella Abzug , an iconic women ’ s rights advocate , and soon after I signed on as the youngest member of a political campaign team supporting a female candidate for New York state senate . My goal of helping others had not changed , just the path chosen to accomplish that goal .
Although I did not become a doctor , I became a tested warrior in the health care system . As the mother of a chronically ill child , I dealt with a myriad of doctors from multiple health care systems across numerous states . I became a caregiver for my elderly dad when he was in his 90s , and dealt with doctors and hospital stays as the adult child of a senior with dementia – a completely different dynamic with its own set of challenges . During those decades of being a patient advocate and caregiver , I also had the patient experience –
22 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE by DENISE SEARS , MHA
first when I donated a kidney ( one of the most amazing moments of my life ) and second when I was kicked by a horse and fractured my pelvis ( NOT recommended ). As CEO of SOS International , a global health organization working to improve health and medical care access for our most vulnerable , I have worked with health care systems and medical providers across the world .
It was these widely different perspectives that I brought to my Wear the White Coat experience . I was eager to get greater insight into the work of physicians who play such a vital role in the health care ecosystem . At our matching breakfast , I was paired with Dr . Kandis Adkins , a critical care anesthesiologist , and we instantly connected . We both were excited to begin this journey .
My first shadow experience with Dr . Adkins at Jewish Hospital was during her anesthesia service rotation . Arriving at 7:15 a . m ., we were on the go from the moment I arrived . There was a full OR schedule , and each patient was seen three times – first in pre-op to review medical history and the plan for sedation , followed by the OR to check in on the patient ’ s status and finally in post-op to monitor their recovery and discuss pain management needs . Despite a full schedule , the minute Dr . Adkins was with a patient , she exuded calmness and compassion which put every patient we met at ease . Never did a patient get a sense of how busy she was . It was the interactions that I witnessed between Dr . Adkins and patients which were the highlights of the morning . There was one