Aidan McAnena ’18: Mass General Hospital Pediatric ICU Journal Entry (Part 2)

Aidan McAnena
Aug 22, 2017 · 3 min read

Throughout my time at Mass General’s Pediatric ICU, I’ve realized that medicine is not at all what I imagined it to be two months ago. It’s an interdisciplinary field that is so much more complex than biology.

In the PICU, diagnosis and treatment are important, but the doctors spend lots of time talking about non-medical aspects of each patient’s care. For example, the fellow on service meets three times a week with physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and child life specialists. I sat in on many of these meetings, and rather than focusing on medicine, the group focused on things like socioeconomics and the patient’s relationship with his or her parents. They take as much time as necessary to make sure the child will be safe at home after their course of treatment.

Another aspect of medicine that I didn’t expect to learn about is parent life. Having a child in the PICU can be stressful, and there is so much to take into account. For example, doctors need to be sensitive about providing information regarding local gyms and places to eat. If the child has just been in a car crash, the parent may see this as highly inappropriate, whereas a parent whose child requires chronic dialysis and will be staying for a long time may see it as an act of kindness. I met people at the hospital whose job it is to make sure things like this have been considered in depth.

In June, I was expecting to learn about things like congenital heart defects and brain tumors. This was the case to some extent, but I learned that medicine is its own discipline, not merely a way for people to put biological knowledge to use. Medicine requires doctors to think on their feet and respond effectively to their patients’ needs, as well as those of the parents.

I am truly grateful for the experiences I’ve had at Mass General and for the people that gave me these opportunities. I can’t thank Dr. Phoebe Yager and Dr. Michael Flaherty enough for spending so much of their time with me. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit really is a special place that I will never forget. The patients and their families are so inspiring, and the doctors are so empathetic. Although I am beyond excited to learn more about the medical field in the future, I will be sad not to be in the PICU, as it is such an amazing place.

The Rivers School

The Rivers School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12.

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Aidan McAnena

Written by

The Rivers School

The Rivers School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12.

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