Pizarra, Adriel R.

2015070107

Reaction Paper Patch Adams

Bioethics

Dra.Carandang
December 15,2015

Hunter Patch Adams emanates to the lowest point of his life and finds the
hope of his calling to help people. After trying to end his life, Hunter Patch Adams
admits himself to a mental institution. It is here that Patch, as he prefers, figures
how to look past the obvious--- that is seeing the person instead of the problem. In
Rudys character, we see how Patch approached personally his case demonstrating
compassion. The people in asylum believed that his problems are non-existent but
to Rudy they are real. Patch acknowledges this. He reaffirms his capability to
reason, then get alongside him and helps equip him to overcome these personal
challenges. He doesnt demean him by trivializing his difficulty, but validates his
thoughts and feelings. Patch discovers from his encounters with the people of the
asylum that the best way to help a sick person is to first treat the patient as a
human being, then address the medical condition.
Based on the real life story of a fellow who had a desire and a flair for helping
people, Patch Adams, is a story of finding your purpose and pursuing it with all
diligence. Robin Williams portrays Hunter Patch Adams with familiar enthusiasm and
comical gimmick. He makes you laugh despite the fact that you have seen his larks
before. Some of the humor has sexual element embedded on it. Some of the humor
is straight unsophisticated.
Patchs zeal for helping people drives him to defy the status quo of the
medical field. He desires to interact with patients in his first year of medical school,
which is strictly prohibited. However, this doesnt stop Patch. Patchs hunger to help
is agitated when he realizes that so many people in need of health care are refused
because of the organization involved with insurance and hospital procedures. He

Pizarra, Adriel R.
2015070107

Reaction Paper Patch Adams

Bioethics

Dra.Carandang
December 15,2015

contacts former mental hospital mate, Arthur Mendelson, and acquires the use of
his house not far from the school. Here, they open a sort-of clinic offering a warm
smile and basic medical attention.

In this paper, I want to highlight Patchs way of giving care. So much so in

Medical field, we are one way in our approach. We are taught to maintain a personal
boundary for the best care of the other person. We are keen to hear their problems,
and encourage them to open up about what they feel; their pains and history. But
this makes it a case of how we can treat them without sharing ourselves which puts
us on an uneven keel, and is demeaning to them. Another strength of Patchs
approach is that he doesnt subscribe to the idea that people only need help if they
ask for it. The unpredictable patient with Cancer and Korin both rejected his
attempts to engage and help them, but he continued in pursuing because he saw in
them the need and it translated to him as a call for help. His persistence did pay off
and both people were helped immensely by his involvement in their lives. However,
sometimes we must not get involved in a persons difficulties if they do not ask for
help, as this can be demeaning and interfering. It is a matter of decision.
In conclusion, Patchs very personal approach to helping people is something
we can learn from in patient care as we need to be aware of the importance of
developing connections with those we provide care to. We must see the person, not
the problem; acknowledge the seriousness of that persons problem, be open to
being moved in encountering them and be aware that providing treatment/care is
not always a result of someone expressing a need for it.