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Reflections on the Patient Partner Workshops |
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Written by Christine Ann Guillermo
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Sunday, 27 December 2009 19:11 |
I was fortunate to be a part of 2 workshops of the UST Rheumatology Section (Medicine II – Module 4) so I will write about my experience as a student-facilitator during the Patient enlightenment Workshop (29 November 2009), as well as my experience with the patient partners. To tell you the truth, I never had much interest in rheumatology. When no one was willing to volunteer their time to the patient enlightenment workshop by default I became the chosen volunteer. But I could not be happier with the twist of fate. Here, I was able to meet people from all walks of life bonded by the same struggle with their disease. Their positive outlook in life made me see my life in a different perspective. All of a sudden my problems did not seem so heavy and I found an obstacle as a challenge I was ready to face. Through the workshop I was able to meet new friends and bond with my fellow classmates. I would like to thank the department for a wonderful experience and hopefully these workshops will continue to grow.
During the patient partners workshop in Module 4, I did not know who was more afraid: me or my fellow RA partner. I wanted to be very gentle with her but due to my extreme carefulness I had difficulty in eliciting the ROM exercises. My patient partner taught me how to do the exercises correctly and told me not to be afraid to hurt her. She was very patient with all of us and even though we were causing her slight discomfort , she continued to teach us. The stories from the SLE patients were so powerful and enlightening. I commend them for being so strong and willing to tell their stories for the benefit of others. These patient partner workshops are a great way to treat our patients as people and not as a disease. It teaches us to go beyond the disease and understand the different aspects of an illness apart from the presenting signs and symptoms.
I would like to take this time to commend the Rheumatology department headed by Dr. Navarra. Not only are the consultants very helpful but the fellows and residents really work closely with the students. Dr. Leynes and Dr. Soldevilla have been tremendous in helping our group with our big group discussion (BGD). More power to the Rheuma department! ■ |
