a water color drawing of one person with a hand on the shoulder of another person
Painting created online with personal photo, Waterlogue, and virtual sketching in Pixlr.

For all the echoes in the lecture hall that urge us to practice empathy with our patients … why is so little offered to those we work alongside with?

For something that holds such power to mold relationships, it is deeply strained. 
A finite resource - stretched thin by long hours, lack of sleep, and pressures of time.
Seemingly unrecoverable when all energy is depleted.

But what will be lost can be re-discovered.

By practicing patience with those whose empathy has burn(ed) out.
Potent in the smallest of doses.
To acknowledge. To encourage. To appreciate…without assuming a “thank you” has already been said.
Remembering that our fellow provider is someone else’s patient.

To those beside me, may my empathy extend.

Dedicated to all the healthcare providers caring for others while grieving their own loss and suffering.