Of Suffering and Empathy: Trauma Rotation Part 2

What a week. That seems to be my refrain. Last week in clinical was extremely demanding for me. I tend to a little on the sensitive side: I haven't completely learned how to separate my emotions from the trauma that's in front of me. Going in to the program I knew it would be an issue for me.

I've journaled extensively about the difference between sympathy and empathy. I'm working on being more inclined toward empathy which is the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings or thoughts attitudes of another. More about this later.

On Thursday, I saw a lot of difficult cases: young children with broken bones, men and women returned from the scene of MVAs. When we get the call, TRAMA IN RESSUSATION ROOM 8,” for example, we roll in a portable machine and proceed to shoot a trauma series: CXR, pelvis and cross table cervical spine.

I'd have to say that my tendency during those exams was more toward sympathy: the emotional identification with the suffering of others. For me this is especially true when it comes to pediatrics. I won't go into any particular detail on the trauma itself except to say that in several cases it was grievous.

My mentor, J. has counseled me on this topic and I paraphrase here: It's important to mentally observe suffering. Don't allow your emotions to come into it. Do your job as a Radiologic Technologist never allowing the suffering of others to penetrate your shielding.

Understand suffering with your intellect but don't go beyond that. Be a professional and observe the ethics and guidelines of your field. Give people a voice. Be a good listener. They need to be heard. It's never helpful to the patient or yourself to internalize their suffering.

In the book, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk, the character, May is unable to separate the suffering of others from her own. She goes into fits of misery upon learning of the suffering of the world. What a wreck she was. When reading this, I wondered is she helping anyone by this identification? The answer is an emphatic no.

I need not wrap my emotions into the concern for the suffering of others. I'll use my intellect and understanding. I will employ heed and caution to always do the right thing for my patient according the the ethics and guidelines of my profession.

A healthy approach to the observance of suffering is toward understanding of the level of pain my patient is going through. Ask, “How would I want to be treated?”

So by now you must think I'm a mess of emotions. I say perhaps. I'm working on the above issues and I'm not exactly there yet. I'm close. But it's extremely rewarding to know that each time I produce an image of diagnostic value I'm contributing in a definite way toward the patient's recovery toward productivity.