As the head of a big-city hospital’s emergency department, Susan O’Mara has always focused on providing quick answers to people in crisis:
A relative desperate for information.
An injured person facing a very long wait.
A colleague exhausted from dealing with fed-up patients.
But until a special training class a few months ago, O’Mara didn’t consider whether there were ways to be more compassionate in her response.
The training taught the doctor to pause and listen, and not respond defensively to an angry patient.
She said it has helped her focus better and find a deeper well of sympathy, even as she deals with trying situations.
“You want to get patients from Point A to Point B with compassion, and also not internalize and feel badly yourself,” she said.
“To approach someone who is angry with compassion is the holy grail of emergency medicine!”
Will you become more compassionate?
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