ER Scribe
Battling Cynicism in the ER
"Ten out of ten? Really? Is this really the worst pain you could possibly imagine?"
"Wow, this person has been in the ER 15 times in the last three months. You know what that means."
"Where are the normal people?"
These are just a sampling of the kinds of thoughts I’ve been having lately during my job as an ER scribe. These cynical thoughts are bothersome.
What’s even more bothersome is the lack of compassion I’m starting to develop. Seeing people in pain used to surprise me. I would feel a certain amount of empathy for someone in obvious pain. But it’s so common, and it’s so hard to differentiate between who is actually in pain, who is exaggerating their pain, and who is not in pain at all. I don’t know what to feel.
When I first started working, the psych patients were the cases that bothered me the most. My own family history has made me aware of the difficulty and complexity involved in mental illness. But I’ve noticed a disturbing lack of care
Why is this happening? I’ve only worked in the ER for four and a half months. Why do I suddenly feel so cynical and jaded?
Part of it is obvious. I’m just mirroring the voiced thoughts of those I work with.
However, I do wonder if it is a product of my specific role in the ER. I see every patient the doctor sees, but I do very little in the actual treatment of those patients. Some doctors don’t even introduce me as I enter the room. Indirectly I’m helping these patients by allowing the doctor to spend more time with them face to face, keeping the doctor informed of incoming lab tests and imaging studies, and making sure they get informative discharge instructions. But x-ray techs have more interaction with patient’s than I do.
Maybe this lack of connection with patients helps contribute to my lack of compassion. I don’t want to make that an excuse though. The change in my thinking has been startling as I look back on how I thought in the past. I want to do something about it.
I’m curious to hear from others who work in health care. How do you deal with this issue? Can you give me any advice?
I guess I’m trying to integrate a realistic world view with a compassionate one. I’m faithful that they can co-exist, I’m just trying to learn how.
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2 comments for “Battling Cynicism in the ER”
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This is a REAL problem I think all scribes face at some point. I’ve worked as a scribe for over 2 years now and have even had a doctor tell me, “Don’t go into medicine. You’ll just end up hating people.” Yes, medicine particularly in the ER can drive one to this level of cynicism. The fortunate thing I find is that as a scribe we work with many different doctors all with different motivations and levels of empathy for their patients. The kind of physician you become is ultimately a choice you have to make. We must realize too that medicine has its limits. It isn’t our goal to improve the socio-economic status of people which can sometimes plays a bigger role in health than the nearest ER. I like to try this once ever couple of shifts. Remember the name of the patient. I find myself FAR too often referring to patients by their symptoms or room number. Why? Because we have the mindset that we are treating disease. When, in fact, we should be more keenly aware that are treating people. Hope this helps.
Chris- thanks for the comment. Yeah, it’s tough. Some doctors I work with are great, and they serve as an example as how I would like to practice some day. Others are a different story.
I have tried to refer to patient’s names more often as well. I think it helps. But it’s still hard. I fluctuate, sometimes the cynicism is stronger than other times.
Anyway, thanks for the comment, I really appreciate hearing your perspective.