Making others aware of your values can be sharing your values, totems, and behaviors with them. However, a more natural and indirect way is in the feedback we give others. By pointing out behaviors that we agree or disagree with, we are mirroring our values for those we give feedback to. “Thank you for going the extra mile and filling out the discharge paperwork for your sign out” may mirror your values of thoroughness or consideration.

Closing Thoughts

Values shouldn’t be confused as the sole guiding principle for all our behaviors and interactions. As a compass, values give us direction, but no further information as to the best route. To rely solely on values is to warp it into vices. An overcommitment to dependability without boundaries or loyalty without insight is burnout or naive allegiance, respectively. As is in almost everything in medicine, values are a balance and taken into context of the circumstances and our practice environments. Also, it’s important to remember that values are different amongst us all. Being cognizant of this can help us foster understanding between colleagues and improve feedback. Our values may not align with others’ values, thus we should be mindful of judging based on differing values.

At the end of the day, our values are what carries on within us, whether on shift, across a career, or in our lives. To define them is to respect and invest in ourselves. In difficult times, decisions, or shifts, values can be a guiding light to make the right call because at the end of the shift, we want to reflect and feel that we lived our values.

Jean cried softly in a quiet resuscitation. I saw Mark’s arterial waveform spike with each compression from the LUCAS, hold with each push of epi, then slowly dwindle each rhythm and pulse check. His heart tapped faintly on echo. Jean held his hand — first warm, then pale, then mottling hand. She smoothed his salt and pepper hair. Trying to offer comfort, I said, “Some believe hearing is the last sense to leave.” I wasn’t sure I fully believed it — but in that moment, I did. Jean stroked his hair again and whispered, “You lived such a good life. A great life.”

Dr. Koo is a faculty member and an emergency physician at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., and St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown, Md.