An update...

So my patient with pancreatitis is still in the ICU, but for several small reasons things are starting to look a little more optimistic. One of my last things to do today was to go by the ICU and write an afternoon note. After doing so, I stopped by the ICU waiting room, and sure enough my patient's parents and wife were there.

I sat down and visited with them for several minutes. I think some of the other doctors had conveyed some hopeful signs to the family earlier in the day, so they seemed as calm and collected as I'd ever seen them before! We talked some about the medical plan, and then I inquired into some of their personal thoughts and plans. At the end of the conversation I offered to pray with them, which they readily accepted.

As I left the room, all three of my "patients" repeatedly thanked me for visiting with them and praying with them. (This included the patient's mother, who a few days earlier had insisted on seeing the chief resident!)

Sure, it's a little daunting to be the intern on a medical care team comprised of a seasoned internist, a pulmonologist, a gastroenterologist, and a cardiologist; especially given that I'm only a month or two out of medical school, and the ICU nurses know much more than I about managing unit patients. But I realized that today I did for this family what no one had previously done, including the psychiatrist who had been by a couple times to "support" the family. I was able to be a physician in a broader sense, treating the family as well as the patient, and addressing spiritual needs along with the physical. That was really exciting!