Arterial sticks and blood pressures, auscultation and palpation

by Michael Natter, 2017 Rudin Fellow


Arterial sticks and blood pressures, auscultation and palpation. Trending labs and titrating drips. The more clinical skills I learn and hone, the more I appreciate the value of humanism in medicine. Sometimes we don’t have all the answers. Sometimes we unintentionally misdiagnose or incorrectly prognosticate. We may misprescribe an antibiotic or fail to pick up on a subtle physical exam finding. But when we take the time to listen to our patients, to sit at their bedside, to hold their hand- I find that, in many cases, it can do more good than anything else. Sometimes hugs can be better than vancomycin.


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