Be kind and compassionate.
Some of you are just starting, and your minds are about to be shaped by everything you do and learn. Some of you are graduating, ready to grow into your own attitudes and practice styles. Some of you have been doing this for many years, and may feel burnt out.
It's a great feeling to go to bed at night proud of how you treated others, regardless of how they treated you. Be they fellow workers, staff, patients, or their families, know that you acted in a way you're proud of. Know that you treated every patient with compassion, without judgement, and did all you could to help them feel better physically and emotionally. Know that their questions were answered, and they left your emergency room feeling better than when they came. Never forget that is why you decided to be a physician many years ago.
We'll make mistakes, we'll have difficult cases, and we may not be able to control all that happens medically. But we can control who we are, and how we treat others.
