Essay — The J. Woodrow Savacool Prize in Medical Ethics
Timothy James O'Brien · February 1990 · JMC '90
I was born in the small town of Bradford in northwestern Pennsylvania. This country town provided me with a wonderful environment in which to live. The townspeople are very down to earth and cherish basic family values. As the oldest in a family of four children, I enjoyed a strong and happy family life. My father worked hard as a salesman and my mother stayed home to raise the family. I know within my heart that these early experiences with my family and community in Bradford provided me with a special ability to deal with patients on a very personal level.
As a high school student, I developed an interest in biology and chemistry and decided to attend pharmacy school at the University of Pittsburgh. As a pharmacy student, I found myself excelling academically and enjoyed counseling patients on drug therapy. I was also able to interact well with my classmates and served as their class president for three years. As a registered pharmacist I obtained a staff position at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. I had the opportunity to teach students the art of pharmacy and enjoyed presenting topics on drug abuse to community groups. Although the practice of pharmacy was satisfying at first, it soon became clear to me that my real interest was in a more comprehensive care of the patient and at that point chose to pursue a career in medicine.
I was very excited about entering medical school at Jefferson and at the prospects of becoming a physician. I knew that here I could expand upon my knowledge of pharmacology and become more intimately involved in patient care. As I near the end of my medical school training, I have fondly found these goals to be achieved. I have not only begun to master the volumes of knowledge necessary to practice modern medicine, but have also cared for wonderful patients whose interpersonal relationships will remain with me throughout my career. I feel fortunate to experience first hand the physician-patient bond and how this bond makes the job of practicing medicine like no other.
Thinking back on my experience at Jefferson, I will never forget patients like "Mr. D." who was dying of hepatorenal syndrome but could joke with me about my size 14 shoe size. Then there was the family whose mother was being ravaged by carcinoma of the pancreas but who reminisced about what wonderful times they had spent hunting and fishing around my home town of Bradford. Then there were the days on Family Medicine, visiting patients in their homes with the home health nurse, listening to their medical problems, eating their homemade cooking, and drawing blood that no one else could seem to obtain. Each and every one of these experiences are very special to me indeed.
I feel quite honored that the committee has nominated me for the J. Woodrow Savacool Prize in Medical Ethics. I know that in these times of high-tech MRI, monoclonal antibodies, and patient physician mistrust, that the knack for interpersonal patient physician relationships gets lost in the shuffle. Awards, academics, and prestige aside, my interest in the patient, his life, and his problems are still what drives my interest in medicine.