Teens learn art of healing, bedside manner

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The medical profession enjoys some of the most miraculous technology available to mankind, but much of what makes a good doctor or nurse has nothing to do with computerized gadgetry.

Good old-fashioned bedside manner is still one of the most crucial aspects of treating patients successfully, and would-be doctors still learn about it, along with the latest mechanical and chemical breakthroughs.

Jessica Thesing is a junior at Glendale High School who wants to become a doctor specializing in internal medicine.

She spends half of each school day at Ozarks Technical Community College earning credits toward a medical career.

She recognizes that there's more to healing than medical breakthroughs.

"You have to pay attention to all the physical aspects. You can't just pay attention to the numbers," she said.

Carolyn Lee, coordinator of OTC's Health Sciences Program, says it's holistic health care.

"You have to look at a patient as a whole," she said. "They are not just a disease. Physical, emotional and psychological: You have to address all those aspects of a patient. It's our responsibility."

Lee is also a registered nurse who said the human side of medicine is of particular interest to her. "I truly believe that nursing is a calling, and there is an art to it," she said. "Health-care workers should be empathetic at all times."

Of course, she is enthusiastic about using new technology, but stressed that it is a tool toward complete medical treatment.

"I think you can rely too much on technology, but nothing replaces a hand-on diagnosis," she said. "The machine can tell you the heart is fine, but the machines can be wrong."

Kripa Sreepada, a junior at Greenwood Laboratory School, wants to be a doctor for one simple reason.

"I like helping people in general," she said.

Sreepada, whose father is a doctor, is learning about the medical field at the Cox South Medical Explorers program, which allows her to shadow doctors and nurses as they do their rotations.

There, she has reinforced the idea of how important is for health-care professionals to enjoy interacting with patients.

"I was talking to a nurse who emphasized that you have to love what you do," Sreepada said. "She loves to talk to patients. It helps yourself be more successful, and it makes the patient feel better. No matter how far we've come, we can't forget that."

Another Medical Explorers student, Anisha Rimal, who attends Central High School, has also observed the importance of human interaction.

"A human life should always be valued," she said. "In the [Cox South] recovery ward, there was an elderly patient who'd been there a lot. They were treating him with the utmost respect. These are fellow human beings you're interacting with."

Lee said said it's important for doctors and nurses to be able to communicate with patients and make them feel like they can talk to the doctor. Because knowing more about patients and their circumstances can often give clues to their condition.

"Maybe [the patient] is embarrassed," Lee said. "Health-care workers need to come across as nonjudgmental and helpful."

There are also times when no amount of help from machine or man is enough. When a patient dies, doctors must put down their instruments and often have to break the news to loved ones.

Glendale junior Peter Mullen, who still hasn't decided if he wants to go into medicine, said he can't imagine what that part of the job must be like.

"You can't really be prepared for it," he said. "You have to tell them the bad news, but you don't know how you'll react to it."