Early experiences with death, including the failure to revive a drowned fisherman, spurred a young man to become a doctor.
Read More
The heartbreaking sound of a mother’s howl helped a medical student appreciate the huge responsibility of giving bad news about a loved one.
Read More
A medical student’s mom told her witnessing her grandfather’s agonizing death was a gift, implying that it would make her a better doctor.
Read More
Facing a painful death from incurable cancer, Brittany Maynard had to move to Oregon so she could control her destiny & die with dignity. Why do so few states allow this?
Read More
A young medical student recalls the indelible experience of taking care of a dying patient. It is the story of her first patient and her first death.
Read More
Caring for his dying patient, a much-loved Irish farmer with advanced renal failure reminded a doctor of what’s really important in medicine.
Read More
Although compassion and empathy are innate qualities, specific education and training can sharpen and improve how physicians deliver bad news to patients.
Read More
We were told that as third-year medical students, we are lucky because we have time to really get to know our patients as people. It turns out to be true.
Read More
Creating a plan for strategic aging can help patients create a narrative and direction for their end-of-life journey.
Read More
Nursing errors and the unmonitored use of patient-controlled analgesia led to the unexpected death of a mother’s only child. It could have been prevented.
Read More
Existential coaching in end-of-life conversations may allow people to die with dignity with some relief from existential angst in their final moments
Read More
A first year medical student describes her anatomy lab and how she grew to appreciate the corpse she worked on as a gift.
Read More