First experiences of the dying patient: student essays from Australia

Abstract

Two articles in this issue of the Journal are from the Balint Society of Australia and New Zealand (BSANZ), which has been supporting an essay competition for medical students since 2015. These essays are two of 45 student entries in 2021, based on reflections about a significant patient. This biannual competition uses similar criteria to the International Ascona Prize. Students are encouraged to describe a student-patient relationship from their medical studies and to include critical reflection on the implications of their learning in relation to becoming a doctor. Since its inception, there have been 60 to 75 entries in each competition from Australian and New Zealand medical students. Despite the distractions and uncertainty of Covid-19 over the last two years, it was particularly rewarding in 2021 to receive 45 essays of a high standard. Many of the students’more poignant essays focussed on their first experiences of end-of-life care. Australasian medical schools are largely postgraduate entry. These essays are from junior students as they first enter the clinical phase of training. At this stage, it can be profoundly shocking for students to get to know a patient, who then dies from a terminal illness. These essays may represent opportunities to work through their affective responses to those patients, as while there are some reflective groups in these