My first patient visit

As part of our Clinical Pharmacy class during the winter quarter, a very important aspect of pharmacy, " the patient as a person" is integrated into our curriculum. Students are paired up with residents at at the Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center and are required to make at least 5 visits a quarter. Many patients were quite old, some demented, several had lost their sense of hearing while others were bed-ridden. Students met their assigned patients for the first time, including me.

My patient was a 90 year old merchant who traveled the world. He had lost his sense of hearing in his left ear. When I met him, he was about to take his afternoon nap but still enthusiastically engaged me in conversation. As a teenager he worked as a bus boy with famous entertainer, Frank Sinatra at the St.Regency Hotel in New York. At that time, neither knew what they had planned for the life ahead of them. All my patient wanted to do was travel the world while Frank wanted to sing. Lo' and behold--both of them had achieve their dreams. My patient became a merchant, traveled everywhere during the war, married in Hong Kong, moved to the states, had children and had a very fulfilling life.

Anyways, my patient did most of the talking while I sat there, smiled, and knodded. Surprisingly I think that's all he wanted me to do or anyone to do- was to just listen to him tell me about his life. He ended his story with the comment that he would never leave the hospital and the only point ahead of him was 'down'. Now I did not know how to respond to him besides reassure him that he has lived such a fulfilling life, and was able to see parts of the world that others could not even imagine. But how would you respond if your patient made such a comment? Are you optimistic? or unrealistic?