A photograph of all of the satellites that are currently orbiting Earth.

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The power of touch

Yesterday my cohort and I ran through standardized patient scenarios, showing trained actors condition specific exercises and practicing our clinical communication skills.

It was a formative experience in and of itself being center stage with a new person. What really struck me though was the debriefing at the end with the actors.

One individual had grimaced during his exercises. Receptive to facial expression, his student physical therapist adjusted his activity to be in a pain free range. Before she left though, she briefly and gently held his arm, assuring him it would be okay.

As this man told us this experience he got short of breath and began to cry. This man was not a real patient, our clinic was not a real hospital, and we are just students.

All said, this experience clearly moved this man and showed me how powerful touch can be in the journey of helping others.