i nominated one of our clinical professors for a humanism in medicine award. here's the letter i wrote about her.
Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Nomination
I want to nominate Dr. Nordstrom for this award because she has changed the way I look at medicine. I am not alone in feeling this way. Mention her name, and countless numbers of medical students will have a personal story about how Dr. Nordstrom made them a better person, and how she helped them become a better doctor. Dr. Nordstrom exemplifies what it means to be a humanistic doctor. She takes care to make both her patients and her students feel listened to and appreciated. She approaches every clinical situation with integrity, honesty, and compassion. There is something about Dr. Nordstrom that makes you want to share with her the most intimate details of your life. What makes you want to do this is that she instantly instills in you a sense of trust and comfort. I worked with her for over a month at the University and was so thankful, on countless occasions, that it was with her that I shared a conference room, a delivery room, and an operating room. The field of Obstetrics and Gynecology is one of the most ethically and emotionally demanding specialties requiring mentors to have an extraordinary sense of leadership and understanding. I feel so fortunate to have been able to look to Dr. Nordstrom for guidance during the many difficult clinical situations I encountered on my clerkship.
I watched Dr. Nordstrom comfort a 16 year old woman, after days of trying to avoid going into pre-term labor, as she came to terms with the death of her 22 week old daughter. It was during these situations where I was able to witness what a remarkable person Dr. Nordstrom is. The gentle but frank way in which she talked to this young woman. Always honest, she never shielded her from the reality of her situation. What was of utmost importance to Dr. Nordstrom was showing her humanity. She sat with this young woman, as she cradled her tiny, lifeless baby that had barely breathed a single breath, and she held her hand, and cried with her. She put her arm around this devastated mother and comforted her. Her investment into the care of her patients is real, it isn’t something scripted or glossed over.
I have seen the way she has instilled confidence in countless women when she explains to them the urgent need for an emergency c-section. She handles each situation with poise and compassion. Throughout all of this, all of the difficult situations requiring quick judgment, Dr. Nordstrom takes care to always teach and include her medical students. As she rushes to the operating room, she makes sure not to leave her students behind. She makes it a point to include the student in the most stressful situations, because she trusts that her students will be able to benefit and will have the maturity to handle it. With this confidence, we, as students feel compelled to have courage and maturity. We grow as future doctors and as people.
Even students who never had the opportunity to work with Dr. Nordstrom as I did can attest to her dedication to learning. She is the only clerkship director to insist on having weekly feedback meeting every student rotating through OB/GYN must attend. I have never seen so much dialogue and participation in meetings of this sort, and it is because in no other venue have we, as medical students, been given the opportunity to be so honest and outspoken about our experiences.
Dr. Nordstrom’s influence reaches far beyond the corners of UIC. It was because of her that I was able to go on a service trip to Bolivia to provide free surgery to the impoverished people who live there. Dr. Nordstrom spends time every year helping organize a trip to rural Bolivia to perform surgeries and provide services for women who otherwise would never receive them. This project to help the women of Bolivia has taken a substantial amount of dedication. Not only has it been a challenge to get equipment donated, shipped and set up, but it has been a great political and social challenge to make Women’s Health in this developing country a priority. Each year Dr. Nordstrom is able to educate hundreds of women about health care, and provide surgery for countless others who have been plagued by incontinence, pain, and cancer.
These are just a few of the experiences I shared with Dr. Nordstrom, and it was in these times where I knew I was in the presence of a rare person, someone who has the qualities everyone would hope their doctor would have. She will always be a role model for me, and whenever I doubt that there are good people in medicine, I will only have to think of her, and the genuine way in which she advocates for and cares for her patients. I have been overwhelmingly impressed with how she is able to be so precise, so methodical, so incredibly adept with the knife and suture, while at the same time being so flawlessly compassionate and nurturing. I hate to use the word “nurturing” because it plays into so many stereotypes, but in this context , there simply isn’t a more perfect word
I can honestly say with 100% certainty that I almost gave up my dream of becoming a General Surgeon because I wanted to be like Dr. Nordstrom. Although I am still pursuing a career in surgery, I will always strive to emulate the qualities she has taught me. Make every person you interact with feel listened to. Learn something from every person’s perspective. Value your interaction with patients and students. Help communities with less resources than your own. Donate your time. Trust people. Care. These are things I will never forget, lessons I am grateful to have learned from such an amazing person.
