Grief

As usual, the issue of student discipline was brought up at this year’s curriculum retreat. JC and others mentioned examples such as students skipping classes and coming to the wards in track suits or slippers. Some interns slept through the night without answering a call. The list could go on and on.

This year, however, JW tried to cool down the discussion. “We have to understand that this is grief reaction to loss. It is a loss of childhood. We have to be sympathetic and help the students go through this stage,” said the winner of Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award.

During a chat the following Monday, JW further remarked that I had been too harsh to the students. “All right, I will be more sympathetic in the future,” I promised.

What JW said was true, and many graduates are indeed responsible and competent. Alas, we are sometimes putting our patients in the hands of children with grief reaction.