Dr Grubbs Analysis

Throughout our reflective practice sessions, few stories have hit me the way that Dr. Grubbs story has. Initially, I found myself strongly doubting that the racial bias she suggested was actually existent in within the transplant system. That doubt quickly became disappointment in myself and an even larger disappointment in the system. As only a well written story with a dramatic and unexpected twist can do, the end of this story brought a couple tears to my eyes. My initial doubt was a large part denial. I am a young, naïve medical student in so many ways, and it is hard for me to believe that my future field could be so unfair. Surely, there was a better reason for Robert’s struggle to find a kidney. I even believed for a second that Dr. Grubbs was not telling the whole story due to her own emotional involvement. After all, the
The fact that Dr. Grubbs acted in such a selfless way gave me a strong appreciation for her. The depressing part is that she had to go to such lengths to save the man she loved. The fact that he had been suffering unnecessarily for so long when medicine could have helped him brought a couple tears to my eyes. I understand that transplanted organs are a limited resource, but based on the fact that there were others at the same point in the wait list as Robert who had spent less time on dialysis and had less need overall makes the racial bias in medicine all too real. This story was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me. It opened my eyes to my own bias in addition to the fact that racial bias in medicine is still a very real problem. With this came disappointment. I am disappointed in myself for believing that the race issue is a problem of the past and I am disappointed in medicine for still having racial bias. I was delighted that the story had a happy ending, however disheartened because it should not have taken such extreme lengths to end that