The complicated positionality of a learner in medicine means that our fingerprints are always there, regardless of the role. And while it is never documented, our most profound contribution is how we accompany patients in need.

Daniel J. Olivieri reflects on his first death pronouncement and what he learned about communicating with patients and their families.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2024 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

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