When The Simulated Patient Is For Real Essay

In Teneisha Grant’s essay “When the Simulated Patient is for Real”, the author explains that, through her experience with a difficult patient, she learns that the professional application of medicine goes beyond practical techniques and simulations taught in medical school. This patient (named Mr. G) represented one possible worst-case scenario for medical professionals, for this patient was too irate for doctors to dress his wound safely. Although Grant could have sedated the patient, she instead verbally calmed Mr. G by complying with his needs, and empathizing with his worries. For instance, Grant states that “he also wanted step-by-step instructions about what I was doing. I complied . . . He thanked me quietly and I walked away” (182),