#137 Planting Seeds in Brooklyn
Speaking to the Residents at Maimonides Medical Center
When Kat Patee, one of the Emergency Medicine Education fellows at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, asked me to come speak to the emergency medicine residents, I was flattered to get the invite. One thing, though, there was no money in the budget for speakers. Could I travel from my home in Alexandria, VA, and spend some time with the folks in Brooklyn?
Yes! It was my pleasure to make that happen. I knew that my darling daughter, who lives in Manhattan, would graciously share space at her apartment with me. For the modest costs of transportation and my time, I could accomplish my mission which is to get young clinicians into a better frame of mind about the challenging interactions they inevitably have with their sick patients or their care-givers. I have a lot of thoughts about how to make those interactions better and I love to share them.
Photo by Leah Naidorf
We found a Wednesday at the end of August, and I booked my round-trip train ticket to New York City. Lucky for me, this happened to be during the opening of the US Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, and my daughter got us seats in the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium. We got on the 7 train at Hudson Yards and landed right outside the entry gates. We cheered as Coco Gauff won her first-round match (tense) and I enjoyed my first Honey-Deuce cocktail (over-rated).
Photo by Joan Naidorf
On Wednesday morning, I took the E train and then the D to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. From there, it was a short walk to Maimonides Medical Center. I met with Kat who showed me around a bit and to the auditorium where I would speak to the residents and staff who could attend. I was pleased with the turnout and I only saw one or two of the residents catching up on their sleep.
You can Change the way you Think about Difficult Patients
I introduced the message of my book which is that by changing the way that we think, even our most challenging patient interactions can go better and leave us less frustrated. The fears and normal behavioral responses of ill and injured people were discussed. I reviewed some of the unhelpful thought patterns that clinicians adopt naturally and in their training. By asking better questions, and changing our judgmental thoughts, we can spark curiosity and feelings of compassions. We get better results for our patients and the whole process feels more satisfying.
The message was well-received and we discussed a few challenging interactions that they have experienced in the emergency department. I offered some more useful thoughts and reminded them of their obligation to find out why their patients will not take the medicine, or stop the street drugs, or see the consultants. These are the young physicians who we so desperately need to stay excited and motivated to practice emergency medicine, despite their occasional heartbreaks and frustrations.
Several people offered their thanks and insights into how one or more points I made affected them. The program director talked to me at some of the challenges she had with her trainees. Shedding the unhelpful thought patterns can begin with modeling and mentoring. Her training program is in excellent hands.
Brooklyn Trees photo by Joan Naidorf
One of my favorite reads of childhood is the classic book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. The story, based on Ms. Smith’s life overcoming poverty and the alcoholism of her father, took place in nearby Williamsburg. I came to Brooklyn to plant some seeds with the resident physicians and fellows training at Maimonides. Difficult patient interactions happen to all clinicians and we can learn how to handle them better. Physicians can learn tools to change their thoughts and accept challenging people. Troubling situations do not have to drive clinicians out of medicine.
Preparing for the Worst
In the new and renovated Maimonides Children’s Hospital Emergency Department, Kat told me that since the space was not formerly open yet, the staff was using the opportunity to hold a mass casualty drill. With much heart-break, I reflected that on this very day, a dozen or more pediatric trauma patients had likely overwhelmed the Minneapolis emergency medicine system after a horrific school shooting. The emergency and trauma response staff at Maimonides stands ready for all who need their life-saving skills.
I boarded the train back to Manhattan and enjoyed a family visit that evening. The morning air felt autumnal as I walked back to the Moynihan Train Hall the next morning. Unbeknownst to me, my return trip was on a sparkling new Acela train that was being introduced that day. I could not imagine a better ending for another successful trip to New York City.
