Lessons Learned Provide Satisfaction to Palliative Practitioner

From her earliest memory she was determined that when she grew up, she would be a doctor.

"It was the only thing that fascinated me," says Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) M. Strauch, palliative care specialist at the Hospice at the Texas Medical Center.

After leaving her hometown of New Orleans in 1974 and after a brief stint as a commercial artist, she attended the University of St. Thomas, later transferring to Rice University to complete her undergraduate degree. It was then that she trained her medical sites on Baylor College of Medicine. During her residency program in internal medicine, she found herself drawn to oncology, particularly symptom control during treatment. Following a course in death and dying, taught by her mentor Dr. David Mumford, she knew she had found her calling.

"Focusing on ways to control pain, and other uncomfortable symptoms experienced by patients who would not survive their cancer, just made so much sense to me," says Dr. Strauch. "Palliative medicine seemed to best serve my patients at that time of their life."

Inspired by this course, Dr. Strauch applied for and was awarded a fellowship in palliative medicine through M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1991. She spent the next year absorbing and practicing this medical discipline, while caring for terminally ill patients at the Hospice at the Texas Medical Center. When her fellowship was completed, Dr. Strauch was certain she would choose hospice care as her area of specialty, and in 1992 she joined the Hospice as staff physician.

Her decision baffled most of her medical colleagues.

"Many people think it must be very depressing, caring for patients who will eventually die," says Dr. Strauch, "But I don't see it that way. First, I can practice the sort of old-fashioned, low-tech style of medicine that suits me. At Hospice, I can spend a lot of my time really getting to know my patients and their families, making every effort to see that the adverse symptoms are under control, and not having to do any disagreeable things to them."

Most importantly, Dr. Strauch derives untold satisfaction from the lessons she learns from caring for terminally ill patients.

"I've found that people die as they have lived," says Dr. Strauch. "Contrary to what you may think, many cope extremely well, spending their final days filled with warmth, humor, and maintaining their spark for life."

Since 1992, Dr. Strauch has served as Pain and Symptom Management Consultant to M. D. Anderson's Department of Neuro-Oncology. Since that time, she has also given numerous presentations on palliative medicine and hospice care throughout the Texas Medical Center and around the country.

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/09_15_00/page_09.html