Shubham Bakshi is a pediatric resident.

Clear and concise communication is key while delivering bad news

Physician
March 19, 2019

“Guys, are you alright in there?” I ask casually while taking the first bite of my dinner on a 24-hour PICU shift.

No answer.

“What is going on? Why is she beeping so much? Is her tube blocked?” My voice gets louder.

Complete human silence. Except for the deafening hypoxia monitor going to 30s. Heart rate monitor dipping to below 60s. All this beeping was coming from a six-month-old girl with a history …

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Clear and concise communication is key while delivering bad news

Here’s what you learn when a young patient dies

Physician
January 3, 2018

“This is a 17-year-old boy who came in as a category 1 trauma yesterday for a rollover MVC with bilateral uncal herniation, epidural hematoma and subdural hematoma currently intubated and sedated with propofol and fentanyl.”

As the overnight resident presented this patient on PICU, we could see everyone’s early morning smiles fading slowly and beginning to understand the grave consequences anticipated in this severe traumatic brain injury. We could see the …

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Here’s what you learn when a young patient dies

Doctors grow up so fast, don’t they?

Physician
May 31, 2017

“Doctor, I need some orders for this patient. Can you do that soon so that I can get started?”

I was just bringing up a preterm infant to NICU due to concerns for maternal infections. Yes, it was July 3, 2016 — my first official day of residency where I was no longer “just” a medical student. I was a doctor!

My initial reaction was to look around me, thinking (and hoping) …

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Doctors grow up so fast, don’t they?