Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients, by Danielle Ofri

1190 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Short note on doctor patient relationship

In the healthcare system many times patients are just patients and appointments are just appointments. The outlook on the patients and appointments all depends on the area of practice and the health professional themselves. Working in the emergency department, the nurses and doctors there typically do not see the same patient more than once and if they do the chance of them remembering them is slim to none just for the simple fact of the pace of the department. When it comes down to Physicians in the hospital setting, the care is not just quick and done. Great patient to healthcare professional relationships are formed and for some it may feel as if they are taking a “journey”(209) with their patients as they receive their medical care. This essay will be based off the book Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients by Danielle Ofri, in which Ofri herself gives us the stories of the journeys she went on with several of her patients. Patients are more than just an appointment to some people, and when it comes to Ofri she tends to treat her patients as if they are her own family.
Dr. Chan and Mrs. Geng are more of one patient than two for Dr. Ofri. This older Chinese couple moved to America from China where Dr. Chan was once a cardiologist until their move when he then opened a clinic as an herbalist until his retirement. They left their careers, family and kids behind and gained citizenship in America. This couple also came into the hospital together for the appointments, the one appointment scheduled usually always turned into an appointment for both of them with Dr. Ofri. While Dr. Chan has a history of many medical problems himself he was able to speak English, while his wife has progressive Alzheimer’s disease and coul...

... middle of paper ...

...he ways that Dr. Chan, Mrs. Geng and Juan Moreno did. Many doctors may feel strongly for the patients that they care for overtime. Dr. Ofri seemed to make those connections stronger than what I have seen from any doctor and was placed in the family category by her patients and I would not put it past her if she did the same for them. Working in Bellevue Hospital, many times Dr. Ofri came in contact with patients who just overpowered her empathetic and ethical ways, but in the end she always could find the good in it all. Her patient’s progressions and appointments were not just success in healthcare and doctor visits, they were journeys and the most fabulous patient-doctor relationships that could be formed. Those journeys are what made Dr. Ofri, Dr. Ofri.

Works Cited

Ofri, Danielle. Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients. Boston: Beacon, 2010. Print.

Show More
Related

  • The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

    1853 Words  | 4 Pages

    Perhaps the greatest problem faced throughout this tale was that of miscommunication. The Merced Community Medical Center or MCMC for short was the place where Lia was being treated. This hospital was the Merced county's only hospital and unlike most rural county hospital it is state of the art, ."..42,000-square foot wing ... that houses coronary care, intensive care, and transitional care units; 154 medical and surgical beds...."3 This was a teaching hospital made up of interns mostly, but also with some great doctors like Peggy Philp and Neil Ernst. Peggy and Neil are married and have children. They graduated together at the top of their class, and have created quite a practice for themselves. Although MCMC is a great rural hospital, it also has the same problems as most rural hospitals do which is the health care crunch, where most of the money goes to the urban hospitals and then the leftover money is spread among th...

    Read More

  • Dr. Grant's Essay: The Case Of Mr. G.

    483 Words  | 1 Pages

    In her personal essay, Dr. Grant writes that she learned that most cases involving her patients should not be only handled from a doctor’s point of view but also from personal experience that can help her relate to each patient regardless of their background; Dr. Grant was taught this lesson when she came face to face with a unique patient. Throughout her essay, Dr. Grant writes about how she came to contact with a patient she had nicknamed Mr. G. According to Dr. Grant, “Mr. G is the personification of the irate, belligerent patient that you always dread dealing with because he is usually implacable” (181). It is evident that Dr. Grant lets her position as a doctor greatly impact her judgement placed on her patients, this is supported as she nicknamed the current patient Mr.G . To deal with Mr. G, Dr. Grant resorts to using all the skills she

    Read More

  • Essay On The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    This quote centers Henrietta Lacks’ story around the same questions that have driven the Doctoring course: What does it mean to care for others? And how do we ensure that we care for our patients first as people, rather than as a disease? In many ways, Henrietta Lacks’ story is a textbook case in how not to be a good physician. In examining and learning from her story through the lens of Doctoring, we can inform our own practice and

    Read More

  • Cross-Cultural Communication In The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    (pg 271) She also spent some time interviewing the different physicians who took care of Lia, asking them if there was anything that would have been done differently to provide a better outcome. Fadiman evidently wants the reader to understand how cultural difference can become a barrier in providing medical care. Bruce Thowpaou Bliatout who was a Hmong medical administrator provides some measures to improve Hmong healthcare including minimizing blood drawing, allowing shamanic ceremonies in the hospital, involving family and encouraging traditional arts. As difficult as it many be, it is important for providers to understand the cultural difference and try to embrace them. One can only imagine the challenges that the Lee family encourntered from being in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, having a different perspective of life in general and having a severely sick

    Read More

  • Leslie Jamison's The Empathy Exams

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jamison describes another medical figure in her life that she referred to as Dr. M. Dr. M was Jamison’s primary cardiologist, a figure who is involved in some of the most intimate details of Jamison’s life. However, Jamison describes Dr. M by saying she, “…wasn’t personal at all” (14). Dr. M would actually record personal information about Jamison on a tape recorder, however, Jamison would hear Dr. M referring to her as “patient” instead of by her name. This example demonstrates that Dr. M was indeed putting in the minimal effort needed to keep her clients, however, no additional effort was put into the process of learning about her patients. Jamison says that, “…the methods of her mechanics [were] palpable between us…” (18). Dr. M would not even put any effort into disguising her lack of interest of getting to know Jamison. This atmosphere of apathy that is exuded by Dr. M naturally causes Jamison to retract from Dr. M, which creates an environment that is not good for cultivating

    Read More

  • Femininity In Grey's Anatomy

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some lives were saved, while others were not. Emotional attachment was a repeating image of female doctors creating a bond too close to their patients, male doctors did not want their emotions to interrupt their work. Dr. Yang is soon off to Switzerland for a better opportunity and compliments Dr. Karev with a cocky attitude “You are good, competent, think fast with good hands, but you will never be as good as me.” The cockiness and fire elevate Dr. Yang over the head of Karev with her confidence in what she does, not quite often do you hear a woman verbalize this to a man. Another scene, Dr. Miranda Bailey, the chief, is the bossy type to stand for her position and is dubbed as being ¨bitchy¨, which can be discouraging compared to the male chief beforehand who was known as being collected and having everything under control. Last, Dr. Grey is suddenly asked to move to D.C. with her husband for his new job and start at a new hospital. This opportunity gave her husband a couple days off to make a decision and to stay home and take care of the children while Dr.

    Read More

  • Indigenous Health Care

    1562 Words  | 4 Pages

    Applying a suitable model of health to each individual situation will provide the best outcome. This was evident in the case study discussed in the essay. Rodney’s experiences within the medical world ended with a positive and desirable result, but if the appropriate transcultural care was not given, that positive result would have created a negative outcome, which could have been detrimental to Rodney’s future health. This shows the significance that health care workers can have on patient care.

    Read More

  • Florence Nightingale and Registered Nurses

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...to communicate with your patient in order for them to be updated with their family’s sickness. And also have compassion towards them. You are likely to see a lot of injuries and scenarios play out among patients that have been admitted to the hospital. There are many achievements in this field that you may accomplish. And priorities that you have to deal with. For instants your time you have to adjust your schedule.

    Read More

  • Joining the Nursing Profession

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    .... Each day your will leave a lasting impression on the people you interact with. By providing care and communicating with your patients, you will foster not only trust but also you will heal not only your patients’ bodies but their minds too. The sense of gratification felt from such service is unparalleled.

    Read More

  • Jean Watson's Theory Of Nursing Essay

    2377 Words  | 5 Pages

    When a nurse is providing patient care, he/she creates a safe environment for the patient and enables the choice to establish a relationship on a human to human interaction or on a transpersonal level. The patient will be acknowledged as a person with the wholeness of their soul despite their illness or number on the bed. The ten carative factors in this theory are used as an education tool for nurses around the world and should be applied to the different care situations in practice. Nurses use the factors to promote growth in themselves and within the patient. A nurse should respect the patient’s decisions and take the time to fully be present in the moments with the patient. A lot of nurses complain about the time limitations they have and do not provide the necessary amount of time to listen and gather the patient’s perspective of the situation. Another way this theory can be applied to practice is by recognizing the caring moment between you and the patient. This will determine how the relationship will

    Read More

  • Doctors Diaries

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    Doctors had power toward their patients and their interns. As it shows in the book review of The Silent World of Doctor and Patients by Jay Katz; one of the interns said “There is a hierarchy in the hospital, on the top is the attending’s, then is the Chief residence, followed by interns and lastly is the three years’ medical students” and Katz said “Patients can 't trust their physicians to act in their interests…” Patients don’t have the mentality of making a medical decision on their own like an intern can’t make a surgery without an attending watching over them. The capability a patient and intern has is very little to benefit their outcome of health and knowledge.

    Read More

  • Case Study: Lia's Health Care

    254 Words  | 1 Pages

    At this point in time the Lees were demonstrating behaviors that the health care provides wished would of showed up sooner in Lia’s health condition. Two years later, the Lees are providing Lia with the adequate care that she needs. The Lees are making sure Lia is eating and is bathed every night. They make sure that she is groomed and dressed appropriately. Since Lia is not considered an epileptic any more there is no need for a drug regimen, but the Lees continue to treat her with Hmong medicine such as teas. When it was time for Lia to receive her bath Foua would join her, because at the end of it all she would be soaking wet. After the bath Foua took this opportunity to bend Lia’s arms and legs ( Fadiman, 2012, p.217). During Lia’s feeding

    Read More

  • The Dressary Room: A Documentary: The Waiting Room

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although the lives of so many of these patients are not easy, they still find a way to keep going and not give up on their loved ones or themselves. That in itself gives me hope. “The Waiting Room” reveals how difficult a day in the emergency room can be, but in the midst of all the stress still lies a lot of hope. I respect every person in this documentary for sharing their story and perspective because in turn, it has widened mine. No story is the same, but at the end of the day, everyone is just fighting to stay

    Read More

  • Health and Individual Responsibility

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    Doctors can only do so much; in order to be healthy one has to work along with their doctor by keeping up with preventative methods to help one’s health opposed to taking several pills per day for heart disease while continuously eating poorly. However, this partnership between patient and doctor must be met with tedious planning taking the patient’s whole lifestyle into prospective, from their religious to personal beliefs. Pride must be set aside by both partners, as they make negotiable compromises before consigning on this health plan. Doctor Danielle Ofri; writes in her article ‘Doctor Priorities vs. Patient Priorities’ that doctors view a patient’s medical condition ...

    Read More

  • The Trip That Changed My Life

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of my most memorable experiences in Asia was my trip to the doctor. I knew that my slight fever and scratchy throat could be contributed to lack of sleep. With a twelve-hour time difference, I had the worst jet lag that was possible. Yet, the Secretariat felt that I should go to the doctor, so off I went. Once we arrived I took one look at the building and decided that I felt much better. The office was a hole in the wall that practiced family medicine and surgery. It was in stark contrast to the gigantic, pristine medical facilities I was used to. There was a very long line to see the doctor so I took a seat next to a hacking baby and an anxious young mother. What happened next was the most distressing part of my adventure. Once my chaperone announced that I was part of the school program, the doctor took me right away. As I followed the nurse back I passed by people who had been sitting there for much longer. There was a man with b...

    Read More

More about Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients, by Danielle Ofri

Open Document