When Honesty Hurts: What “Being Fired” Reveals About Physician-Patient Trust
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Physicians are no strangers to delivering difficult news, but in palliative care, the emotional stakes are even higher. In a recent JAMA Viewpoint, the authors reflect on the professional and personal toll of being dismissed by patients or teams for doing precisely what palliative medicine demands: confronting hard truths with compassion.
Their message to fellow clinicians is clear. Being fired is not necessarily a failure. Sometimes, it means you’ve succeeded in starting conversations others weren’t ready for. The article underscores how honesty and empathy, even when met with resistance, are the foundations of ethical and effective care.
At MSSNY, we recognize the courage it takes to walk the line between truth and trust. Our Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Program connects physicians with trained colleagues to talk confidentially about the emotional burdens of medical practice. If you or a colleague could use that space, contact us at [email protected] or 1-844-P2P-PEER.
Why Good Palliative Care Clinicians Get Fired (Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA; Rabinowitz, MD; Arnold, MD, JAMA, 4/25).
