Only Impressive = Worthy

From the Soul on Call series
Note: These reflections are fictional and intended for educational and reflective purposes only. They are not medical advice, and do not represent the views of any employer or institution.

Ari had rehearsed the case twice. The patient was stable now, but yesterday had been messy: hypotension, partial response to fluids, source unclear, vague pain, mixed labs. One of those “nothing classic, everything off” situations.

They had presented to Ima in emerg. Max had been the consultant who took the case under Internal. Ari had watched both of them closely—Ima with her clipped focus, Max with his spreadsheet brain at the bedside. They knew how to move fast. Ari just wanted to keep up.

Now it was the next morning. The team had paused post-rounds to debrief, casually, near the charting station. Just Ari, Max, and Ima—half seated, half standing, half distracted, in the usual hospital way.

Ari: “I should’ve called Internal earlier. I think I waited too long hoping the BP would bounce.”
Ima: “What made you hesitate?”
Ari: “I didn’t want to seem alarmist. Or dumb. The vitals weren’t that bad, and the story was… murky.”
Max: “Medicine’s murky. That’s not a sin.”
Ima: “So you had doubt. And you paused.”
Ari: “And that pause could’ve gone badly. If the patient had decompensated, I would’ve…”

They trailed off.

Ima: “You called eventually. And the patient did okay.”
Ari: “But I didn’t handle it impressively.”
Max: “Impressive isn’t the same as sound.”
Ima: “Besides, some of the worst calls I’ve ever made looked excellent on paper. Fast. Confident. Catastrophic.”

They were quiet for a moment. Max pulled a folded progress note from his coat pocket. Ari noticed a smudge of gold on the back.

Ari: “Is that a… sticker?”
Max: “My kid gave it to me before rounds.”
Ima: “That’s adorable.”
Max: “He said it’s for bravery.”
Ima: “Then I’m taking it.”
Ari: “Shouldn’t bravery be for saving lives?”
Ima: “Nah. It’s for showing up when you’re scared.”

She peeled the sticker partway off and smoothed it back down, deliberately imperfect. Ari blinked fast and looked away.

Later that day, as Ari packed up their things in the call room, they found a spare gold sticker in their pocket. No idea how it got there. They stuck it inside the cover of their notebook—just barely. Letting the edge lift.

Not for being brilliant. Not for being brave.

Just for staying in the room.

🌱 Still chasing outcomes to prove you're enough?
This week’s Soul Kit might help.

The Worth That Can’t Be Measured
Just a quiet step back from the metrics and toward your own center.

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