During one of my Health Care Assistant shifts, a patient asked me to help them get up. However, while I was in the room, they felt very, very unwell and said that they couldn’t breathe and that their chest felt tight, so I immediately went and called one of the nurses. When the nurse came in, the patient was almost unresponsive and staring at the ceiling. All quickly escalated to the point where the emergency buzzer was activated and the patient was considered likely to be having a cardiac arrest.

This was my first time experiencing such a difficult situation, and it was also the first time I realised how critical and important a clinician’s job is. I chose this encounter because it had a strong emotional impact on me and stayed in my mind. After the shift ended I decided to draw this image and this is my eye. Through my eyes, you can see the room and how many nurses and doctors were all around the patient, trying to help them and save their life.

I chose to represent this through an eye to show my perspective and how I experienced the moment both visually and emotionally. I was very scared and panicked. I realised that I felt overwhelmed and unsure in a high-pressure situation, but I still remained present and tried to respond by getting help quickly.Creating the drawing helped me reflect more deeply on the experience and process my emotions. However, I also realised that this experience is probably very common and normal among clinicians, and I may encounter many similar situations throughout my medical school journey and after I graduate as a doctor.

(click on the image to see the full details!)