A Lesson on Empathy: Medical Student Unexpectedly Becomes the Patient
Whitney Stanton, MS-1, at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, shares her story of becoming a patient during her first weeks of medical school.
FORT WORTH – During her first weeks of medical school, Whitney Stanton never imagined that she would become an Emergency Room patient.
“In one second, my entire life just flashed before my eyes and my life changed,” said Stanton, an MS-1 at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University.
“I did not think six weeks into medical school that I would break my arm.”
In late August, Stanton said she was driving through the intersection of White Settlement Road and Athenia Drive in Fort Worth where another car ran through a stop sign and hit her car.
Stanton’s sister, who was in the passenger seat, was able to get out of the vehicle, but Stanton remained stuck in the driver’s seat. She looked down at her right arm and saw her wrist twisted.
“I remember thinking I need an ambulance and I need to get to the ER,” Stanton said. “I told them bring me to the best hospital.”
She was taken by ambulance to Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth where emergency medicine physicians were able to get a quick look at Stanton’s injuries. Doctors determined that Stanton fractured her arm in multiple places and would have to undergo surgery. Her sister suffered minor injuries in the accident.
Coincidentally, Terence McCarthy, M.D., the John M. Geesbreght M.D., M.S., FACEP, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, was working that day at Texas Health Harris. One of his partners in the emergency department told him a medical student from TCU had been admitted for serious injuries.
“As soon as I walked in the door she said, ‘You’re the Chair of Emergency Medicine,’ ” Dr. McCarthy said. “Early on, I just want to teach the students that it really matters how much you care about your patients. I sincerely wanted to check on Whitney.”
The outpouring of support didn’t stop with Dr. McCarthy. Several of Stanton’s classmates rushed to the hospital to be by her side. The Office of Student Affairs at Burnett School of Medicine also jumped into action providing a care basket for Stanton and working on getting her special accommodations for class.
Student Affairs is a hub and connector for students and a place for students to begin their inquiries when “life happens,” according to Mary Beth Mercatoris, Ph.D., Director of Student Affairs at Burnett School of Medicine.
“It is inevitable that life throws our students curveballs where support is needed,” Mercatoris said. “Our curriculum is complex and exacting so as a student is healing from an injury many School of Medicine colleagues are here to support the student’s forward progression within the curriculum without a pause-out or stop-out when at all possible.”
Stanton had surgery on September 6 and her right arm was placed in a sling until it fully heals. Her classmates have given her rides to school and helped apply icepacks to her arm during class breaks.
“I fully know now that the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU fully stands by our mission of creating Empathetic Scholars®,” Stanton said. “It’s not only the students who stand behind that but everyone who’s associated with our wonderful community here.”
For Stanton, this experience has given her an in-depth patient perspective.
“I definitely have an idea of what it’s like to be the patient and go through an operation,” Stanton said. “In the future, I hope I can be a calming presence and comfort to a patient in that situation and give back to someone in the future.”