What?

It was hard for me not to physically wince and cringe, hard to restrain my hands from flying up to cover my face in shame, as I listened to the story of Dave Culver, the former adventure guide who sustained a life-changing spinal injury while mountain biking in Kamloops. Beyond the gruesome details of his accident and injury, it was the description of the appalling level of care he received during his time at the hospital there that left me feeling shocked and angry. Even beyond that, it was the way that this story hit so close to home – literally – that incited an emotional response from me. I grew up in Kamloops. I was born in that hospital, received care there for various ailments and emergencies over the years, and then, more recently, I went on to work there in the food and nutrition unit. Furthermore, mountain biking on the many trails in that area is a favourite activity for many of my friends and family, and a lifelong career for my brother. With all this in mind, I suppose it was inevitable that I would feel an emotional connection to the case we were presented for our inter-professional education session, and throughout the process I tried to make sure that I used this emotional connection as something that would enhance my learning.

So What?

The case gave me an opportunity to explore my view, and the views of those in my group, on what it means to provide care in a rural community. I had never before heard of a doctor keeping a patient from better care for the doctor’s own learning purposes, and it opened my eyes to the fact that these types of things happen at all, let alone in my own little hospital at home. I found that some of those in my group blamed the ‘rural setting’ for the poor quality of care that Dave received. My background in this type of setting led me to differentiate the setting from the practices, and come to the conclusion that the poor choices on behalf of the care team were the root problem, independent of the setting in which they occurred. It makes sense to provide the best care given the facility and training

Examining Dave’s story allowed me a chance to reflect on the harm that can result when a care provider allows ego to rule the decision-making process. Other members of my group were as shocked and appalled by the physician’s actions as I was. However, as much as we all vilified the doctor in the story, a small part of me wondered if I will ever be in a position where ego could get in the way of good care. It’s an undesirable thought, but it brought me to the important point of considering the actions I can take to prevent it from becoming a mistake that I make in my future practice.

More than anything, Dave’s story made it clear how crucial it is for health care team members to work collaboratively, not only with each other, but with the patient and his or her family and support network. Dave’s journey could have been made so much easier through improved collaboration between team members. I found myself wondering, for example, whether a dietitian was involved with the case; if so, there’s a good chance that he or she would have noted Dave’s irregular bowel movement patterns and linked them to the cause. Could the physiotherapist have sped up the healing process by bringing a dietitian onto the care team when he noticed Dave having difficulty with bowel movements?

Now What?

Working on this case with a team of other students who are just beginning their journey as health care professionals, as I am, was an invaluable experience that I feel has set me up for a better understanding of my responsibility to future care teams, clients and patients. The enthusiasm that I felt from other group members for solving problems in this way, and the need that was apparent for input from each educational background, made this type of collaboration seem more accessible than I’d previously thought. I would welcome more chances to work together with other human services and health care students. I appreciate having looked through the lenses of the physician, the pharmacist, the dentist and the physiotherapist from whom I learned through this experience, and I hope that I can carry them with me as I continue to learn.