Medical Series | Resident Monitoring Public Hospital Patient in ICU

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Resident Monitoring Public Hospital Patient in I.C.U.

RESIDENT MONITORING PUBLIC HOSPITAL PATIENT IN I.C.U.

"An Artist in The University Medical Center"

Tulane University Press, N.O., La., l989

May H. Lesser

To help me understand why an outside sometimes has difficulty knowing what goes on in the medical center, a nurse tell me this story: A blind child, knowing that she was dying from a brain tumor, nevertheless wanted to do as much on her own as she could. So every day she tried to feed herself. One day, her teacher visited and, seeing the girl’s lunch tray untouched, accused the staff of neglecting their patient.

I accompany this fellowship resident on rounds. She has a sweet smile and a kind word for everyone. Just before she finishes her fellowship, however, she’s killed in an automobile accident while returning from a satellite hospital. One of her professors says, "I taught her all I know."

The few female physicians sometimes feel resentment from the women staff who have less education and skills. And sometimes the male physicians are threatened, too.