How can we reach the doctors?

I recently stumbled across some fax numbers for nursing directors across the country. One of the numbers I called turned out to be for a clinic, so the receptionist at the other end of the line kindly gave me the phone number for the local hospital. I was able to reach a nurse through the hospital operator. After briefly mentioning to her the title and some information about my book, she responded: "So have you found a way to reach the doctors?"

What an insightful question... This one nurse's words have been ringing in my ears. It seems that the key to creating space for death in our hospitals is to get through to the doctors. A medical social worker who works at a cancer center commented that doctors can hear you better individually more than they can in a group setting. And perhaps especially when a doctor is moving through his or her own personal loss or transition, they are more likely to appreciate the need to "make space" for grief and death -- not only in their lives, but in hospitals as well.

One of the most hopeful aspects in this regard is the possibility that medical schools and younger doctors are changing, recognizing the need to have a different kind of relationship with death. I've heard that today there is more education around palliative care and hospice in medical schools compared to what there used to be. Along these lines, I've discovered a wonderful book by a young surgeon named Pauline W. Chen. Her book is called FINAL EXAM: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality.

May we all become more aware of how we push death (and grief) aside in our lives. May we create new ways to incorporate it more fully into our lives by honoring it making a new space for it. And when the opportunity arises, I encourage you to have conversations around this topic with your physicians, and healers of all kinds, for that matter!

Deep Blessings of Peace and Hope, Dancing Heart~~~