Dr. Wojo. Healthy Living. Simplified.

Over the past 18 years as a physician, I have witnessed a wide variety of tragedies involving young and old alike. For this reason, people frequently ask me how I manage my emotions when dealing with medical emergencies. The answer is that, in the best interest of my patients, I must put my personal feelings aside and focus on using my training to care for my patient.  

When the medical situation has come to a close, I take the time to reflect on how I handled the situation and personally assess what went well and what could use improvement. In the Emergency Department, we often do the same as a team – discussing our performance in an effort to continuously improve the quality of care. We also participate in Critical Incident Stress Debriefings after traumatic events in the ER. These are large group sessions, moderated by a mental health professional, in which medical professionals discuss their feelings and address their concerns.

And while I am a physician, I am also a parent and a son. For me, tragedies involving children, or witnessing the death of an elder spouse, will raise a host of feelings. Unfortunately, I must notify families of bad news. I do so with empathy and tact, while at the same time giving them the facts they need to know. When I walk into the “Quiet Room,” all eyes are upon me. I sit down and deliver the news directly because families immediately want to hear the end result, whether good or bad. Once their emotions have settled, I explain what has happened and what can be expected.

Recently, I had to deliver very unfortunate news to the parents of a young boy. In order to assist the family, I worked with the child’s mother to help her bring family members from afar to Central Wisconsin. I wanted to help provide direction for them during a time of chaos. It is my hope that I was able to lessen the burden of their pain and that I was of some help to them.

I have since learned that their son provided several organs for critically ill people. The family gifted others with a chance for life and I hope that someday soon they can reflect upon this with peace.