It was the end of the day and we were running late, as usual. The last appointment had just checked in. I looked at the schedule:
“New gyne consult. 5 weeks, 6 days. Requests TA.”
My preceptor got a little nervous and without making eye contact with me said, “I don’t know where you stand with these things, but you’re more than welcome to go home now if you’d like.”
Where I stand?
She wants a TA. For whatever reason, she can’t be pregnant right now. She came here and sat in a waiting room to get the same care everyone else here got today. Regardless of where I stand, she deserves my time and attention.
I didn’t go home.
And, this is how med students learn about abortion.
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- Wavering Between Choice and Life (mandarinmama.wordpress.com)
This post makes me so proud. I love that you’re willing to be there no matter how it personally makes you feel. Great post!
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Thanks, CB. It’s not my business to judge. It’s my business to provide care, and compassionate care at that!
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Amen! 🙂
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So true. Good work. We have to witness TAs during our gynae block, but the doctor is very nice and allows people who have objections to leave. I guess I shouldn’t judge them, either. But, I stayed.
We have very few doctors willing to do TAs in South Africa, even though it is legal and has been so for almost two decades. Consequently the doctor at our hospital who does it, does it every single day of the week. She told us that she wishes she could just deliver some babies or do some consults some days… but, somebody needs to do her work.
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