The purpose of Medicine -- are we less important than we think?

In My Humble Opinion
1

This may turn into a GD, but here sounded like a good place to start

Recently I had a thought, and I was curious if it has occured to anyone else – Have I ever saved someone’s life?

my immediate thought was “damn straight I have”. I could even give examples of where my intervention saved someone’s life.

But then I thought more on the subject – Have I truly saved someone’s live? I’ve treated patients that should have lived, but they didn’t. There injury was not truly a life threat, but they died.

I’ve treated patients that should have died, who should have never still been breathing when I got there, much less two days later in the ICU on their way to recovery.

So, have I truly saved someone’s life? I’ve come to the conclusion that I haven’t. I don’t think that I ever will. I’ve come to the conclusion that paramedics, EMTs, nurses, or doctors don’t save lives – we provide the patient a way to continue living; it truly is the patients will to live that will determine if they live or die…

any other views out there?

2

If I’m ever in the ER for any reason, I certainly hope that you will not be my doctor.

I want a doc with a Can-Do attitude and skills to back it up!

:smiley:

3

hea now, be nice… there is no doubt in my mind I’m a damn good paramedic – but when you everything you can, everything that should have worked, how else do you explain when someone dies? or the converse, when you see an injury that truly is fatal, but somehow the person lives…How much of a roll do we play?

4

oh, I missed a smiley above – joke taken

:slight_smile: