A Reflection

As we round out the end of another school year, it gives us all the chance to reflect on our experiences. It’s a bittersweet moment. We’ve learned a great deal with countless and sleepless hours spent pouring over the books. Yet, we look back at it with pride and love. Our patient interactions, especially those on street runs and in clinic, are what we end up treasuring the most. These conversations and connections that we build are what we remember from the year.

In the past, TBSM would often set aside time after a street run or clinic for the group to take some time and reflect on their encounters. We urge all of you do to take some time before the hustle and bustle of the new year starts to reflect on some of these experiences. I am always amazed that the smallest conversation can leave the biggest impact. Often times they aren’t even medically related. Instead, they offer a little glimpse into the patient’s life and their universe. This is what continues to drive me during those long hours. These stories remind us that we get the privilege to play a role in their story. We are just another character in their incredible stories.

I recently found a poem in JAMA that spoke to this point so clearly:

Street Rounds

By Cordelia Yen Ross, MD, MS

Today, I sat on a bench outside

the hospital, surrounded by twelve street people,

including one man

with a guitar.

It was one of his three prized

possessions (the other two were a pair

of crutches). He had kind eyes

and rotting teeth.

He introduced himself and took my hand

and he shook it firmly. With comfort

and with confidence.

Why shouldn’t he?

He spoke of his travels, beginning

with his service in Iraq and then Japan,

where he learned

to say “you look pretty.”

He described his fight in the ocean

with the 5-foor shark that attacked his leg;

he still has scars and a limp

to prove it.

Then, he played a tune for, an old county song

from his childhood. He sang along

while I played

a few chords myself.

There was nothing he needed

from me. There was nothing he had to prove

to me. For that moment in time,

we sat

as two people, with a common love

for music, enjoying an unusually warm

Fall morning, in the park,

together.

Find more poems here: https://jamanetwork.com/collections/44062/poetry-and-medicine

Tips for Medical Teams!

• When on street runs, approach patients in groups of 1-2 students.

• Make sure to hand out fliers of where our clinic is and what dates it will be open.

• Mention that our First Presbyterian Clinic now has rapid HIV testing!

• Remind them it is our pleasure to serve the community and that we hope to see them again!

• Listen to the patient and understand their concerns before interjecting. Be engaged.

• Sometimes all they need is a conversation with another person.

• Share with other pedestrians what we are doing and what TBSM is all about.

• If they don’t have any medical needs, offer them hygiene supplies.