A Familiar Question

Academic Medicine Podcast

I started this letter with a question, but I pray not for an answer. I cannot accept one. Instead, please give me the strength to replace the wet mask soaked in my tears. Give me the power to continue the Sisyphean task of treating your ill and moving on to the next patient, especially on days like today.

Norman R. Greenberg writes a letter to God asking why patients must suffer and how those who treat them can continue on amidst their grief.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.