By Andrew Oh
One cold Seattle morning,
I was wheeling out garbage bins to the curb
when an older woman stopped me.
Are you one of the medical students living in this house?
Yes, I am!
I’m a chaplain at the hospital. I love getting to meet our students.
What exactly do you guys do? You pray for people, right?
She laughs.
Here’s how I explain it.
Doctors, nurses, therapists,
they all bring a line of work and skill
to the table. And those are important.
But a chaplain brings just their heart.
She clarifies.
Of course, doctors bring their hearts too,
but they have an expertise they must also bring.
Chaplains bring just their hearts with them.
In that moment, I didn’t care that I forgot my jacket
or that I accidentally wore my house slippers outside again.
I want to bring my heart to my patients, too.
Not just my stethoscope.
When have I done that?
Was it the time I shared my faith to a burn victim?
Or was it the time I brought two warm blankets
to my ED patient who had just asked for one?
Three years and thirteen clinical rotations later,
I’m still thinking about what it looks like
to bring my heart to my patients.
But I’m glad I’m still thinking about it.
Andrew Oh, M.D., received his medical degree from the University of Washington. He began writing in college and has since published his work with various literary journals and magazines.