Job shadowing or informational interview: Observership at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital (4 points) - Taylar Wharton

 During the month of July, I completed an observership under Dr. Janelle Williams Holder at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital. Dr. Holder works in the palliative care department, and I observed her daily interactions with the hospice patients. Through this experience, I learned about the dying process, symptom management, patient confidentiality, and discussed social determinants of health.

Watching the daily practice of hospice care was extremely eye-opening. I did not know that patients on hospice care are not allowed to receive any life-sustaining care. This can include medications that treat conditions (not symptoms), oxygen, dialysis, and many other treatments. Oftentimes, when these things were pulled away, the patients would not survive much longer. This really challenged me to reform my thinking of life and death, as well as what is a desirable way to pass. Before this experience, I believed I would want to prolong my life for as long as possible. But Dr. Holder brought up great points that it’s financially taxing, and there’s no point in suffering if death is around the corner. 

This activity also taught me that I would not enjoy working in palliative care. Not only is it mentally straining to consistently be around death and dying, but there is no typical medical “win.” In other specialties, the indicator that a physician has done well is a life being saved or a condition being treated. In palliative care, there is no such gratification, which I believe would cause me to burn out. 

While not directly in my field of interest, I believe knowledge of the topics I discussed during my observership will improve the quality of care I am able to render to patients in the future!

- Taylar Wharton