Working with Patients: Common sense, a bit of medical knowledge and a dash of art

Most of what I’ve come to find when working with a patient is that there are three factors that need to be taken into account to ensure the process goes well for everyone; common sense, medical knowledge and a certain finesse that you have a little of at first and develop with practice.

I’ve heard of a few Paramedics becoming qualified through a three year university degree, started working on the job and realized they either hated it or were no good at it. This is incredibly sad – imagine spending three years of your life, as well as accumulating a massive financial debt to find it isn’t for you. While of course you have the option of translating that knowledge to another field (as I have done with a medical research background) to ‘save’ some of the effort – I’m fortunate enough to still intend on returning to research (long) down the track when the situation improves.

The trick lies in balancing those three factors of sense, knowledge and art to the benefit of the patient and enjoying it. Bowel pain could be cancer. But it also could be related to the aspirin and beer they took earlier. Common sense differentiates the two. But combined with other symptoms, your medical knowledge may flip that back to the cancer scenario, and you recommend further checks. The art is knowing when to use what – as well as how to relate all this back to the patient.

It’s this constant juggling that appeals to me – I like to think I’m a creative person (I play two instruments, design websites and am about to dabble in photography), I like to think I’ve got medical knowledge (BBMedSc(Hons), SFA w.AdvResus inc. SAED, HAZMAT and BIOHAZ trained) but know I still have a lot to learn (especially regarding emergency medicine) and in the common sense department I feel confident – but I can always do with a little bit more! A couple of times I’ve come up with a plausible diagnosis that was previously missed or hypothesized a scenario which has later been revealed as correct – but all of this means nothing if you don’t know how to work with patients.

A patient (usually) doesn’t have your medical knowledge, and so for them this triangle is incomplete, they’re often in pain and in whole the experience is unpleasant. Working with patients is in its own right an art form, a delicate dance of trust, respect, care and assurance. To be able to assess, if possible reassure and always relate the situation back to the patient is an integral part of the work, and something I have thoroughly enjoyed so far.

As always, I want to be better at what I do, and perfecting this balance is something I see myself being devoted to for some time.