A Doctor's Journey from the Edge of Death | Rana Awdish, MD

Aug 23, 2022

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Rana Awdish, MD was on the last day of her critical care medicine training when her life changed forever. Seven months pregnant at the time, Dr. Awdish abruptly found herself in a life threatening crisis when a previously undiagnosed liver tumor suddenly ruptured. She was rushed to the ICU of her own hospital, where she came unimaginably close to death multiple times. Despite this tragic event, she survived thanks to the incredible work of her medical team. Today, Dr. Awdish is the author of the acclaimed memoir In Shock, which recounts her time as an ICU patient. She is also the Medical Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and Medical Director of Care Experience for the Henry Ford Health System. In this episode, she shares what she has learned from her experiences about compassion, hope, and improving empathetic communication in health care.

In this episode, you will hear about:

How a family ailment inspired Dr. Awdish to pursue a medical career - 2:10
An riveting personal account of the catastrophic medical event that befell Dr. Awdish - 4:17
A discussion of the learning curve in medicine and the need to create safe spaces for physicians to admit ignorance - 12:13
The fascinating and unsettling experience of being a highly-trained physician and a critically-ill patient at the same time, and how this experience showed her the way our current medical culture disempowers patients - 15:17
Dr. Awdish’s reflections on the antagonistic environment of her prolonged hospital stay - 20:19
A discussion of hope, concept often misunderstood by physicians as running counter to realistic expectations - 27:37
The intense and unexpected role of spirituality in Dr. Awdish’s critical care experience - 32:14
Navigating the medical profession while confronting suffering and not burning out - 34:37
A discussion of Dr. Awdish’s profound essay The Shape of the Shore about the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Detroit - 37:36
Dr. Awdish’s advice to new physicians and students to help them stay connected to their work and to see the humanity in their patients - 44:33

Dr. Rana Awdish is the author of:

In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope, a memoir about the harrowing events discussed in this episode and the revelations she attained by going through them.

The Shape of the Shore, an essay about working in the ICU during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Johnson mentions the essay The Learning Curve by Dr. Atul Gawande.

Follow Dr. Awdish on Twitter @RanaAwdish.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

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