Wit~A Nursing Perspective

833 Words4 Pages
Wit is the story of Vivian Bearing, a doctor of English literature who is diagnosed with stage four, metastatic ovarian cancer. Her oncologist, Dr. Harvey Kalekian, decides that the best course of treatment for her would be eight months of experimental chemotherapy. As with many doctors, he speaks in medical jargon, and does not fully explain what exactly the treatment will entail. There is a lack in humanity when Dr. Kalekian talks about the diagnosis and the treatment. With unknowing certainty, Dr. Bearing agrees to the chemotherapy and begins her experimental chemotherapy. Dr. Kalekian has a group of physicians doing their fellowship with him. One of the physicians, Jason, is a former student of Dr. Bearing. The viewer can quickly gather that he does not see Dr. Bearing as a patient, or even as his former professor, but rather a guinea pig for his research for cancer treatment. Throughout the film and during different stages of her treatment, Dr. Bearing, flashes back to different times in her life including her childhood, her college years and different times in her career and the viewer gets to see Dr. Bearing in different lights. The most profound flashback scene is when a student of hers asks her for an extension on his paper due to a death in his family and Dr. Bearing denies the student the extension. It is the moment during the film that Dr. Bearing realizes the humanity she so desires from the medical professionals, she never offered. Although most of the medical staff in the movie seems to perceive Dr. Bearing as either an experiment or just another patient, there is one person who sees her as a human being. This person is Susie Monahan, Dr. Bearing’s nurse. Susie is there for Dr. Bearing during almost everything and represents the “caring professional”. Susie is a shoulder for Dr. Bearing to cry on, she is a teacher and explains

More about Wit~A Nursing Perspective

Open Document