Speechless

Liver surgeon Simon Bramhall marked initials on patients (read the article on BBC News)

Wow.  What a tremendous lapse in judgement.  I hope Dr. Bramhall can be rehabilitated.  I pray for the patients and families affected and for the doctor who made such an egregious error.  It’s hard to imagine what would possess anyone to sign their name on a fellow human being’s organs.  I can only surmise it was unbridled hubris that can sometimes result from being a driving force of healing in many harrowing life and death situations.

Physicians who are in positions of extreme impact in medicine must realize it is the highest privilege to serve patients in life and death situations. We must always guard ourselves from succumbing to the God complex. It’s a hard balance because when tackling highly technical high risk/reward procedures one also needs supreme confidence going into the Operating Room.

How do I manage?  I struggle everyday between confidence and humility.  My wife Julie, and my family, and partners help me keep them in balance.