Session as a Physician - Essay Example

Session as a Physician As I waited for my next patient, I studied my office. My walls are adorned with my diplomas and certificates that manifest my credibility as a physician. My redwood furniture also gave that professional and simple look. I know the set up of my office both benefits me and my patients since looking around the small space, they would develop trust in me as a capable professional and pour out all the information I need to help them. On my part, I want the ambience in the office to draw my patients out of their protective shell and just allow me to help them in whatever problems they present to me the best that I can. I want them to be open to me, yet at the same time, maintain a certain professional distance. That is why I often sit behind my office table as they consult me in their chairs from across it. Sarah came in the door dragging her feet behind her. At first sight, I knew she is a beautiful young woman with her pretty eyes which look dulled right now and her smooth skin which also looked quite dry and sallow. After a simple introduction, I dove in to her concern and asked her how I can help. She related to me her problems with slumped shoulders. She shared that she is a dedicated mother of three children. Her husband is a businessman who is always away on work-related trips. This arrangement has left her as the sole caregiver of her three youngsters. Sarah is a highly efficient teacher in a prestigious preschool. On top of that, she has been entrusted the role of training new teachers with the quality of teaching she is known for. She is likewise head of the Parent Involvement Program of the school. Her many duties at work, on top of preparing for her own preschool class and her homemaker role at home has been taking its toll on Sarah. For the past month, she has complained of recurrent migraines, stomach pains and general body malaise. Lately, she has also been observed to be short-tempered, prone to crying spells at the smallest provocation, and bossy with the teachers she trains, and curt with the parents she meets with. I paused for a while and told her she was exhibiting symptoms of stress and explained that stress is what one feels when the demands on his life exceed his ability to meet those demands. Her symptoms show that she may be undergoing over-all exhaustion. “Emotional exhaustion results when an imbalance occurs between the emotional demands of work and the personal psychological resources available to fuel the energy to meet such demands. Thus, to the extent that the effort required depletes ones energy and emotions, the result is feelings of estrangement from self (Hochschild, 1983; Leiter, 1993) and emotional exhaustion.” (Wilk & Moynihan, 2005). In her case, her stressors are: overload of work duties, work-life imbalance, her own personality traits and the personalities of the people she works with. The interplay of stressors and the consistent experience of high amounts in one’s life can often lead to burnout. I advised her to take a vacation to de-stress and regain her usual positive work attitude. . I gave her a pamphlet of some relaxation techniques that she could do in her spare time. When she comes back rested and rejuvenated, then she can be a more productive worker and mother. Session as a Natural Health Consultant My idea of a place of work is one that makes me relaxed enough to concentrate on the tasks I need to do. My small office opens to a min-vernada filled with flower pots and hanging plants with a small coffee table and two easy chairs where I can take my clients for consultation should they prefer a more laid-back ambience. Usually, that is the case, so my coffee table is centered with a small bowl of candies or bite-sized cookies and the smell of brewing coffee wafts the air. Soft mellow music can also be heard faintly, creating a home-like feel. My client, Sarah comes in looking weary. I offer her a choice of staying on the couch in my office or step out in the veranda. As usual, she chooses the veranda. My assistant serves both of us a cup of coffee as she relates her problem with me. I find out that she is highly stressed and at her wit’s end as to how to manage her life being a working mother. I joke with her that she is trying to be “Superwoman”. Then I share with her that I used to be the same. I told her I even suffered burn-out and refused to go back to work since I thought if I could not manage my own life, then how can I even attempt to help others manage theirs!. So I shared with her some tips on what I did to manage my stress instead. Sarah was all ears when I explained that we all needed to create time for ourselves during the day… to breathe, to relax and to de-stress. She said it was easy for me to say that, working in such a restful environment like the veranda we were staying in. I told her I had to create such an environment not only for myself but also for my clients. Having a bit of nature and soothing music, along with pleasant sights and smells surrounding you relaxes the senses, bringing you down to a level of comfort. During that comfortable phase, the mind can relax and be rejuvenated. Like a friend, I advised Sarah that she needs to take time to really think about her life priorities and reorganize it accordingly. If her family is her first priority, then she should invest more time and effort in raising her children and keeping her home well-managed. At work, she should consider which job requires most of her attention and give it its due. If her students in her own class need her most since they are her young wards that she sees everyday, and that her time and influence would affect their young lives, then, by all means, she should give them priority. Next could be the teachers who depend on her expertise to be good educators themselves. Last would be her job as parent involvement facilitator, as she can solicit help from other teachers to help their parents. Sarah agreed that she needs to be assertive in communicating her needs – her need for support for her job duties, for her home management, etc. In doing so, others can hear her needs and have the chance to help her. Finally, I pointed out her needs to take care of herself by indulging in relaxation techniques such as meditation, stress-busting exercises and dwelling in positive and calming thoughts. Sarah and I had a very pleasant talk in our session. I witnessed her face lighting up as our talk progressed, and before she left, she rewarded me with a beautiful genuine smile that brought out her beauty. Comparison Although the persona of the physician and natural health consultant in both sessions was the same, there were subtle differences that I added to make them different in terms of their roles and methods of practice. The physician’s work environment was professional and business-like with walls adorning proofs of her accomplishments. It sent a message that she meant business and was hired to help out her patients in the best way she can. On the other hand, the natural health consultant went out of her way to create an ambience of a relaxed, stress-free environment that allowed her clients to let their hair down and “chill out” with a friend. Both practitioners had professional demeanors and were successful in establishing good rapport with their client and earning her trust enough for her to share her problem openly. The physician was a little more detached in giving her diagnosis was geared towards a more scientific explanation of the patient’s problem. It was apparent that her advise was based on research. The natural health consultant was more personal, even acknowledging her own experience with the same problem and her advise was like more of a sharing session between friends. With the physician, the credibility of the consultation session was based on her professional background and research while with the natural health consultant, it was based on her own experience and personal knowledge, along with the inputs of the client. Nowadays, people have varied choices of the kind of healthcare providers they can approach. Those who are more inclined to a more scientific method go to doctors who give medical diagnoses and prescriptions to ease their physical pains. Those who prefer alternative approaches to healing go to natural health consultants who may be knowledgeable in the art of natural healing and trained in applying a more personal approach in educating their clients on how their bodies work and how to care for it. While there is credibility in medical doctors who have studied their craft for so many years, they still need to be more personable in dealing with their patients. Some are too bent on delivering medical services that they leave out the human need to connect. On the other hand, natural health consultants may address clients’ need to be validated and acknowledged of their pain and suffering by providing a more personal and natural approach. However, they must not forget to update themselves with scientific knowledge in the workings of the human body in order to educate and empower the client to manage his or her health well. Both practitioners need to uphold excellence in their profession while maintaining a personable character that draws their clients to them and make them listen, understand and follow their advise. In doing so, they are fulfilling their mission in lessening, if not eradicating, pain and suffering in this world. References Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Leiter, M. (1993). Burnout as a development process: Consideration of models. In W. Schaufeli, C.Maslack, & T.Marek (Eds.), Professional burnout: Recent developments in theory and research (pp. 237–250). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis. Wilk, S.L., & Moynihan, L.M. (2005), “Display rule regulators: the relationship between supervisors and worker emotional exhaustion.”Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol.90 (5) pp. 917-927 Read More