Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
-From Kindness By Naomi Shihab Nye
Hi everyone,
In residency, I developed severe reflux, resulting from a lax sphincter, too much coffee, too little sleep, and too many cheesesteaks. I eventually saw a beloved Penn gastroenterologist named David Katzka, and while I don’t recall my endoscopy, I do remember his checking gently for a succussion splash and telling me he’d explain everything as if I weren’t a doctor, taking nothing for granted.
Decades later, I remember Dr. Katzka’s kindness when I hold patients’ hands before procedures and when I break bad news. I consider kindness when patients share their fears and when I promise to join them wherever their illness leads. In this era of cold technology, I use my hands gently when I percuss, palpate, and escort patients to the exam table.
Kindness is embedded in our residency culture, dating back to the days of Paul Beeson, who reminded trainees to “do the kind thing and do it first.” Kindness helps learners absorb complex information and encourages them to ask questions, embrace feedback, and seek help. Kindness shows residents that their work matters, that we’re invested in their growth, and that we’re privileged to teach them.
Kindness fuels collaboration and patient safety. It welcomes nurses to join rounds, pharmacists to suggest better meds, and therapists to share observations. Kindness invites trainees to speak up when they disagree with attendings, which prevents errors and saves lives.
Our vulnerable patients, friends, and colleagues crave kindness, though their needs may not be obvious. Patients may hide fears behind stoic smiles. Interns and residents—and even attendings—may suppress self-doubt. During Chanukah, Christmas, and New Years, many of us feel the ache of separation from our families. In the days ahead, please take every opportunity to be kind.
I don’t know if Dr. Katzka knew how much he buoyed me when I wasn’t feeling well, let alone how he influenced my life and career. But when I finish today’s note, I’m going to send him a long overdue thank you.
On this first day of winter, may we let the flame of kindness bring warmth to our patients, light to our teams, and brightness to our days.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. I’m headed back to the bike trail now that the snow has been washed away,
Mark
P.S. Congratulations to the winners of Friday night’s Ugly Sweater Contest:
- Overall Ugly: Johnny Allsop
- Ugly “Couple”: Lea Sayegh, Marah Maayah, Melissa Daou
- Funny Ugly: Elio Haroun
P.P.S. What I’m reading:
- Peabody Show Uncovers Roots Of The Taino By Brian Slattery
- As Sally’s Apizza plans hundreds of new locations, Frank Pepe’s, Modern Apizza weigh in By Nathaniel Rosenberg
- The Role of Doctors Is Changing Forever By Dhruv Khullar
- Is Cognitive Dissonance Actually a Thing? By Shayla Love
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Greene
- The man who mistook his imagination for the truth By Maria Konnikova
- Why Both Republicans and Democrats Are Wrong About Health Care By Peter R. Orszag
- First We Grieve By our very own Megan L. Ranney
- What Rob Reiner Told Me the Last Time We Spoke By Todd S. Purdum
- For immigrants in CT and beyond, asylum often is the only hope. Critics say the system is ‘brutal.’ By Joshua Eaton
- The Righteousness of Ahmed el Ahmed By David French
- What I Wish I’d Known When I Was Younger By Arthur C. Brooks
- Abstract Factory—Research Culture Harming Medical Education By Samer Al Hadidi, MD, MS1; Hira Mian, MD, MSc2; Rajshekhar Chakraborty, MD3 et al