I had a patient today who’s a chronically sick kid, been in and out of hospitals all his life. Very turned off by doctors/nurses/hospitals. I’ve been rounding on him for a week now. Today I tried a different approach. Today I began my interview by asking him about the NBA finals.

We got into a discussion on Kobe vs. Lebron, we talked about Michael Jordan, we talked about Chick-Fil-A and the Popeyes chicken sandwich. We talked about TikTok. Slowly he started getting out of his bed and he was fully engaged.

I think for a second, he forgot he was in a hospital, or that I was a doctor or that his illness matters and it’s why he’s here. We were just two guys talking. At the end of our banter, his roommate says to me: “you’re a doctor? I’ve never heard a doctor talk like that.”

The most fulfilling part of this job, for me at least, almost has nothing to do with the medicine and more to do with making patients feel like people.