Do you think Lark's emotions infringe on her ability to treat her patients? How would you feel if your doctor got teary-eyed or cried with you? How do her emotions make her a better or worse doctor?

Lark knows she’s a weeper, even jokes about it. Do you think her emotional interactions with patients infringe on her ability to treat them? How would you feel if your doctor got teary-eyed or cried with you? How do her emotions make her a better or worse doctor?

Having experienced both sides as a physician and a patient, showing emotions can be either detrimental or positive depending on the situation. As an oncologist, patients want their doctor to be empathetic but not an emotional. Patients are lookin to their doctor for support and strength, not to have to console the doctor!If a doctor has a long relationship or intense relationship, if there is a death or a bad outcome, a teary eye would be ok.

I think showing too much emotion (like sobbing uncontrollably) is very unprofessional, but showing some emotion and being empathetic to a patients condition is just good bed side manner.. there is a fine line that doctor's must walk and this may come with experience.

Lark’s emotional outbursts were way over the top and unprofessional and as a patient, I would find them unsettling and question her ability to treat me. I want a healthcare professional who listens and is confident, objective, and yes, genuinely cares but within professional parameters.

Crying in front of a patient's unprofessional in my opinion. I think she was probably an excellent doctor, but she has to hold herself together. I was an in-home family counselor years ago. I dealt with families with incest, members in prison, broken families, shooting etc. I, too, am an emotional person. I sometimes cried over my clients, but never in front of them! I was professional when I was with them. They didn't need my sorrow adding to what they are already experiencing. Like Lark, I changed my field to one that better suited me. And I was much happier for it!

I think when Lark was working in Oncology it brought up too many sad memories which made it difficult for her to control her emotions. If I had a doctor that started to cry in front of me, I would probably be terrified.

Crying in front of a patient is unprofessional in my opinion but a doctor should show understanding and support even if just a few words of comfort not the medical topic but without emotion. If a doctor started to cry in front of me I would wonder about his ethics.

I think I would be disconcerted if a doctor treating me started crying. While I would like to think the doctor might be sad that I had cancer - or even was dying - I would much prefer a more professional demeanor.

I think I would be comforted by a doctor that showed me some emotion. If they teared up I would feel cared for. If they broke down crying that might freak me out. Kind of a double edged sword!

A doctor needs to remain objective to provide the proper care and exude a sense of competence. Lark was a bit over the top in her emotions. She connected too closely to their pain. Moving to the ER was a good choice for her. Clearly the emotional toll of being in oncology was too much for her.

I, too, am someone who cries very easily but was able to keep it in check until I was
alone. As a counselor I heard incredibly sad stories but don't remember tearing up
with any clients. I think there are times that showing tears would be okay. It would
demonstrate the depth you have been moved by what the client is going through.

I agree with Scribbling Scribe that Lark was over the top with her emotions, she cried too much. Also the ER is a better choice for her, she seems to enjoy it there and doing well with the patients . She should stay there and not think about going back to Oncology if she can't control her emotions. She was too weepy for me, I don't want a doctor who is going to cry.

I think a few tears from a doctor would be acceptable but sobbing out loud and needing to be comforted by the family is very unprofessional.

I would be appreciative of her empathy, but I wouldn’t like her sobbing if I were her patient or my family member was her patient. I’m not really a crier, though.

Lark's move to the ER suits her personality moreso than Oncology. A doctor needs to be compassionate but not overly emotional as they need to display strength and support for the patients' respective conditions and states of mind.

I feel that Lark was too emotional to be working in Oncology and the ER was a much better fit for her. I don't feel that most patients would feel comfortable with a doctor who cried with them.

I appreciate a certain amount of empathy from a doctor, and appropriate emotion is acceptable. I did not get a sense that she was sobbing or out of control when crying. Oncology would be a bad choice from someone with such raw grief and ER was a much better fit for her.

I feel her excessive sobbing would be unprofessional. Some emotion from a doctor (at least for me) would be acceptable since I would feel their compassion for me. I would want a doctor who is confident and is going to be helpful guiding me through my cancer diagnosis.

This is an interesting question. I really need to know that my physicians care. Bedside manner that is empathetic is important. I wondered in the beginning if Lark should be an oncologist because that much emotion shows some personal experience with cancer she hasn't worked through. This happened in the beginning of the book so it took me a while to discover if the emotion would have crippled her ability to deal in oncology. I think, even though the doctor who told her this was a bit of a jerk, he was right.

I am very emotional and know that sometimes I need to avoid situations where I may not be able to control my crying. If a doctor starts sobbing, I do think that is unprofessional. I want my doctor to show care and concern and offer some hope if possible.

I prefer a doctor who seems to care, one who can show emotion to some extent. It’s called excellent bedside manners. Part of a doctor’s job is to keep encouraging the patient, so crying is not appropriate bedside behavior.