I always thought I was a compassionate paramedic. Then, I ended up in the back on an ambulance—as a patient. My experience on the other side of the fence led me to study suffering, pain, and ways we can alleviate both. Psychological research shows there are very specific elements of an interaction that lend authenticity to conveying compassion, which can remarkably reduce a person’s suffering—more than morphine and ketamine in many cases. But with compassion fatigue, paramedics can't be expected to be perfect; however, we can use the science of compassion to appear compassionate even when we’re struggling ourselves.
Blair Bigham is a Toronto-based multimedia journalist, scientist and resident emergency physician. He was a Global Journalism Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs. His work has appeared in the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Canadian... Read More →
Wednesday October 31, 2018 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Room 101AB
