Greatness Originates in Small Acts of Kindness

People perceive greatness as something that comes from grand gestures or remarkable achievements. However, the field of medicine has shown us time and time again that the origin of true greatness lies in small acts of kindness. Seemingly minor acts of generosity and compassion have the power to not only improve the lives of our patients, but to inspire future generations to follow in our footsteps. Even as a premed, I strive to embody these values so that when I become a physician, I can inspire future generations of providers to do the same.

This realization dawned upon me during my senior year of college when I shadowed a team of plastic surgeons at the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Center. Each morning, I would accompany the residents on their morning rounds and observe their thought process for each patient’s next steps. I also witnessed a number of procedures from start to finish, including breast reconstructions, cleft lip and palate procedures, and skin grafts for burn patients. I felt truly blessed to observe life-changing procedures being performed and even more fortunate to see the positive impact that physicians can leave on patients. Upon reflection, one particular patient encounter stands out to me.

It was the middle of the week, and the plastic surgery team was receiving a number of different consults from the emergency department and trauma bay. We were sitting in the plastics team room when the upper-level resident heard a “ding” on her pager.  An adult woman had been struck in a motor vehicle crash and suffered deep lacerations across her upper and bottom lips. I hurried after the resident as she scurried downstairs to the trauma bay where the intern was already waiting with the proper sutures and supplies.

Upon arrival at the trauma bay, the intern and senior resident injected some local anesthetic and proceeded to close the extensive gash that had almost completely severed her lips. As the resident began stitching her lip, I noticed the patient wince as the suture pulled on her skin. Without any practical medical knowledge or training for the situation at hand, I instinctively moved towards the side of the bed and grasped the patient’s hand. She returned my gesture with a gentle squeeze. Her facial muscles relaxed as I periodically squeezed her hand while offering words of encouragement like “you’re doing great” and “you’re almost done.” We stayed in this position, her hand in mine, for the next 20 minutes as her lip was being repaired.

Although the local anesthetic provided some relief so she only felt gentle pressure, anyone knowing that sutures were going in and out of their skin would be naturally anxious. The surgeons finished the procedure and we left the trauma bay.

The following morning, while I patiently waited for the entire plastic surgery team to enter the team room to begin morning rounds, the resident came through the doorway with her phone in hand indicating for me to look at the screen. Displayed on her phone was a screenshot of a Reddit post. The Reddit post read, “yesterday my mom was in a pretty bad accident. When she arrived at [VCU Health Center] she was taken to the emergency trauma area. She needed to see a face doctor to receive a few needles in her face along with some stitches to her lip. Later, after receiving the care she needed, my mom told me that there was an intern present during the procedure. The intern held her hand during the process. My mom doesn’t know his name or what he looks like (because of the protective masks being worn), but she was able to tell him thanks. Talking was/is a little difficult at the moment for her. I know it’s a long shot, but I just wanted to extend that thanks to the intern along with the doctors, nurses, and everyone else. So, thank you again, I can tell it meant a lot to her. ❤️”

I remember looking up into the gleaming resident’s face after I had finished reading the Reddit post. She congratulated me. My heart felt warm, like it was filled with radiating light as I read the positive comments in the Reddit thread. When I arrived home later that day, I reached out to the patient’s daughter who had originally posted the kind comment. I explained to her that I was not an intern and that I was just a premed student shadowing physicians at VCU. She wished me luck with my path. I said I would remember my encounter with her mother forever and I vowed to treat my future patients with the same level of comfort and care as I did with her mother that day.

I do not share this story to brag or to boast. Rather, I believe that many of us who aspire to serve others sometimes lose sight of what is truly important in the hustle and bustle of medicine. The desire to succeed and to reach the next stage of our career can cause us to forget the patient-centered and human-oriented nature of our profession. Gaspare Tagliacozzi, the father of modern plastic surgery, once said, “We repair and restore that which Nature has given, but Fortune has taken away. Not so that it pleases the eye of the beholder, but so that it buoys the spirit of the afflicted.” While his words speak to the plastics specialty, I believe it resonates with the entirety of medicine. As a future provider, I hope to remember the  importance of small acts of kindness, like offering a comforting touch, providing a warm blanket, or simply taking the time to check in with a patient and see how they are doing. In addition to helping patients, these gestures can also have a positive impact on healthcare providers. When healthcare providers are able to connect with their patients in a meaningful way, it can help to reduce stress and burnout, and renew their reasons for choosing this life of service.

Medicine and healthcare should be a human-centered system. By prioritizing these small acts of kindness, we bring compassion and empathy back to the forefront of patient care. It is always the little things. It will always be the small acts of kindness that create the biggest impact, that push us ever closer to achieving greatness.