Re-approximated: a Medical Student’s Reflection on the Surgical Approach to Cancer Treatment

Medical school clerkship offers third year medical students multiple opportunities to acquire clinical experience through real patient interactions and integration into the healthcare teams of different specialities. As part of the general surgery rotation, medical students are invited to scrub in to assist with surgeries—a chance to simultaneously gain medical knowledge while developing technical skills. They learn that there is a possibility of inflicting harm to the patient at every step of any surgery; from making the first skin incision to tying up the final suture, the importance of staying alert is emphasized until the patient is transferred out of the operating room in stable condition. However, the obligation of a physician to do no harm extends beyond the surgery. In this reflection, a third year medical student discusses her experience during an hours-long Whipple procedure. She reflects on the impact of a cancer diagnosis on a patient’s identity and narrative and comments on the necessity of maintaining a balance between offering medical guidance to patients and offering the space for them to express their unique illness experience.