The picture shows a bridge from one person’s mind to another. The first thing that comes to mind when I look at this picture is, stepping away from your point of view and looking at something or a situation from the other person’s view or mind-set. We as humans are quick to judge someone or a situation from our point of view, what we believe is right. We tend to forget, what we believe is the right thing to do might not be the same for the next person. We tend to forget that how I may react to a certain situation might be totally different to how someone in the same situation might react. Empathy is the ability or capacity to share the feelings or understand what another person is experiencing. Empathy is a complex psychological response in which observation, knowledge, reasoning, and memory are combined to provide insights into the thoughts and feelings of others (Decety & Ickes, 2011).
In my clinic block I was given a patient with bilateral amputations. Before I went to see the patient, I was told that the patient is a difficult patient and that he doesn’t want to mobilize. Arriving at the patient, I introduced myself and got his permission that I as a physiotherapy student could assess and treat him. When I started with the objective assessment and wanting him to move the patient started to become less cooperative. As the session continued, he started to complain and did not want to cooperate with certain things. I was starting to get frustrated with him because I was pressed for time and he did not want to do the simplest exercises or positions. After trying to convince him and explaining the benefits of what I was doing, I decided to go.
Thinking about what I can do for my ethics assignment made me think of this patient. I realized that I didn’t stop and think how he must feel after losing both of his legs. I did not try to understand what he must be feeling and what he is going through. I was so focused on reaching my goal that I set out for that session, that I forgot to develop an understanding of the patient’s situation. A study found that physiotherapy undergraduate students’ empathy level decreases as they reach their final year of study ( Yucel & Acar, 2016)
References
Deety, J., & Ickes, W. (2011). The Social Neuroscience of Empathy. London: The MIT Press.
Yucel, H., & Acar, G. (2016). Levels of empathy among undergraduate physiotherapy students. Pakistan Journal of Medical Science, 85-90.
2 thoughts on “Bridge to Understanding – Roche du Preez 3688503”
Hi Roche, I liked your piece on putting yourself in the patients shoes to understand their situation better. Change our point of view.
I saw your in text referencing, might want to add another reference if possible.
I liked how you linked the picture with an experience that you had while on clinical practice.
Minor changes: structure of some sentences, to read easier.
Some missing words, example: I realized that (I) didn’t stop and think how he must feel after losing both his legs
Hi Roche
Thank you for sharing your ethical piece with us. Please find my feedback below.
Content: (Satisfactory) Your piece reflects and is aligned with content we discussed in class. I enjoyed how you linked empathy with your artwork, and how the therapist’s and patient’s minds should connect during treatment.
Argument: (Satisfactory) as mentioned above, I enjoyed how you linked empathy together with your artwork. I suggest that you add and expand on the component of how empathy can ensure a better outcome during a treatment session. You can make your piece even stronger by adding references on how this plays an important role during treatment.
References: (Satisfactory) I liked the reference you added in the beginning on what empathy is. I suggest that you try to find a reference of someone who experienced a similar event and add this to your piece to make it stronger. It will be nice to read how a therapist’s empathy played a role during their rehabilitation.
Writing: (Satisfactory) Your piece is written in a way that is easy to read and it flows nicely. However, try to avoid using “doesn’t” and “don’t”, rather write it out in full. Also try to avoid using sentences that are too long. Rather make it two shorter sentences. Other than that, well done on a well written piece.
Thanks again for sharing your piece. I enjoyed how you linked your artwork with empathy, as this plays a big role in how the patient cooperate during the treatment session. Just try to
link this principle more clearly by adding a few references into your piece. Please look at the comments and see where you can make any necessary changes to make your piece even stronger than it is. Keep well.