They didn’t cover this in lecture: The formation and dissolution of the patient-provider relationship

• Published in: Perspectives on medical education 2018-06, Vol.7 (Suppl 1), p.16-17
• Main Author: Czepiel, Kathryn S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Education; Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods; Elective Courses; Female; Health education; High School Students; Humans; Medical Education; Medical schools; Medical students; Physician patient relationships; Physician-Patient Relations; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - psychology; Pregnancy, Unplanned - psychology; Students, Medical - psychology; Supplement; Teenagers; Uterine Hemorrhage - complications; Uterine Hemorrhage - psychology
• ISSN: 2212-2761; 2212-277X; 2212-277X
• DOI: 10.1007/s40037-018-0426-9

I was fatefully paired to work with Danielle through a longitudinal elective course offered to third-year students at my medical school. This elective bridges the fields of obstetrics and paediatrics, as it provides medical students the opportunity to follow an expectant mother throughout her late pregnancy and then work with her child as he or she establishes care in a paediatric office. Danielle is a local high school student whom I met during her 34th week of pregnancy—a pregnancy that was unplanned, but wanted. My experience was rather unique from that of my classmates because Danielle was a paediatric patient herself. I think it is important to stay forever mindful of how fortunate we are to be a part of our patients’ very personal experiences. In addition, the relationships that we form on a regular basis within medicine can be impactful for both patient and provider and thus we must be careful, conscious and deliberate in how we develop and dissolve such relationships.