22 / 36
Page 78
Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine | ISSN: 2165-7386 | Volume 8
August 27-28, 2018 | Boston, USA
4
th
International Conference on
Palliative Care, Medicine and Hospice Nursing
Lessons learned from the dying on becoming a better person and practitioner
Jeanette Pham
Memorial Hospital System, USA
A
t the bedside of our Palliative Care patients, we can learn a great deal about living life well. Patients, when faced with their own
mortality, can be some of our most inspiring teachers challenging us to better than we are today in our personal and professional
lives. They teach lessons on the importance of daily gratitude and the significance of embracing the present moment. They teach
about the fallacy of “bucket list,” and the need to leave judgement at the door. They teach us that every person has a unique definition
of quality of life and the need to cultivate compassionate detachment in order to have longevity in the field of Palliative Care. They
challenge us to work on and develop the art of conversation to help guide our patients and families in decision making. In addition,
they teach us to learn the needs of our patient's (hint, they may not be what we think). Each day our dying patient seeks to teach,
guide, and lead us if we make the time, pull up a seat and just listen.
phamhouse@gmail.comJ Palliat Care Med 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7386-C3-021