I work in the medical field when I'm not figuring about how to be a good mother and role model. I love my job...it's interesting, challenging and fast-paced. In addition, I have the privilege of watching injured people get better. I work in trauma. I don't think it's as sexy as the medical shows on TV, but that's okay.
There's a myriad of ways people get hurt or manage to hurt themselves. Some of it's bad luck, an accident, dangerous lifestyle, or sheer stupidity. In the end, our goal is to get people back to their lives and as close to their previous level of functioning as possible. People often ask us if "I'll ever be normal again". We tell them they'll be different, after all we didn't build them, but we'll help them through the process of recovery. There's nothing like seeing a patient walk into your office to follow up when you've only seen them horizontal on a gurney in the past.
The most frustrating part of the job is when our patients don't do their part of rehab. They frequently come to clinic complaining of pain, weakness, and lack of progress. When asked if they're exercising or in physical therapy, they will frequently give us a myriad of excuses describing why they haven't followed through. This explaination is then often followed by a request for pain relievers. ...hmmm
This has been eating at me for about a week after I had a patient encounter that followed this pattern. The bottom line is we can fix the fractures, sew up the skin, and take x-rays. However, we can not create the desire, the drive and the committment to get better. Those things are internal and drive us to get better, work harder and set goals. There's no pill for this and surgery doesn't automatically create the desire to get well.
It's sad. Some people are so severely injured that they never get better, but they improve. Some people have the potential to get better, but don't want to.
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