John Reisman

One of the lines that I learned, one of the scripts was the I wish line. I wish I had better news. That kind of does make it more personal. And having those lines, I almost think about it like you have a tool belt with different tools you can pull out, different lines you can pull out in different instances. And, you know, it sounds robotic.

One of the lines that I learned, one of the scripts was the I wish line. I wish I had better news. That kind of does make it more personal. And having those lines, I almost think about it like you have a tool belt with different tools you can pull out, different lines you can pull out in different instances. And, you know, it sounds robotic.

It sounds technical when you should be utterly human in that situation, yet you're pulling out these prescripted lines, but they really do help in those situations.

It sounds technical when you should be utterly human in that situation, yet you're pulling out these prescripted lines, but they really do help in those situations.

I did find that having that script, having those tools, those lines really, really helps. It's such a surreal situation. You know, I would have thought I did think as a medical student, these situations are you just one human to another. You're just having a heart to heart conversation and while at the same time conveying some technical information about the diagnosis and prognosis.

I did find that having that script, having those tools, those lines really, really helps. It's such a surreal situation. You know, I would have thought I did think as a medical student, these situations are you just one human to another. You're just having a heart to heart conversation and while at the same time conveying some technical information about the diagnosis and prognosis.

But it is a very unnatural setting. So as an ER doctor, I often find cancer, let's say, on a CAT scan when I'm working up a patient's symptoms. This is a person I've never met before. They've never met me. I'm playing a role that I play every day to make a living. For me, this happens semi-often. And for them, it could be the worst day of their life.

But it is a very unnatural setting. So as an ER doctor, I often find cancer, let's say, on a CAT scan when I'm working up a patient's symptoms. This is a person I've never met before. They've never met me. I'm playing a role that I play every day to make a living. For me, this happens semi-often. And for them, it could be the worst day of their life.

So there's this huge chasm between us, this stranger I've never met before and likely will never meet again. It's not surprising that a human... might act unnaturally in such a situation.

So there's this huge chasm between us, this stranger I've never met before and likely will never meet again. It's not surprising that a human... might act unnaturally in such a situation.

You know, we're all in our jobs acting out this unnatural role, playing a role, really, no matter what our job is, and that the same goes for doctors and even in those most human moments when you are telling a patient some life-changing information.

You know, we're all in our jobs acting out this unnatural role, playing a role, really, no matter what our job is, and that the same goes for doctors and even in those most human moments when you are telling a patient some life-changing information.

So in retrospect, it's not surprising that these sort of lines, these pre-written scripts help in that situation to sort of bridge that emotional, professional chasm from which both of me and the patient are coming at this very difficult conversation.

So in retrospect, it's not surprising that these sort of lines, these pre-written scripts help in that situation to sort of bridge that emotional, professional chasm from which both of me and the patient are coming at this very difficult conversation.

Scripts are everywhere. When you think about it for a second, you think, oh, we're just humans. And when we talk, it's human to human interactions. But our society and our lives are pervaded with scripts. When we greet people, we're following a script. And when we say goodbye, there's scripts between husbands and wives. There's scripts between friends.

Scripts are everywhere. When you think about it for a second, you think, oh, we're just humans. And when we talk, it's human to human interactions. But our society and our lives are pervaded with scripts. When we greet people, we're following a script. And when we say goodbye, there's scripts between husbands and wives. There's scripts between friends.

There's scripts between professional colleagues. There's things you don't say in certain contexts and that you do say in others contexts. whatever your job is, if you're in politics, if you're in the medical setting, you know, there's things you say and there's things you don't say in those contexts. So we're kind of all following all these scripts.

There's scripts between professional colleagues. There's things you don't say in certain contexts and that you do say in others contexts. whatever your job is, if you're in politics, if you're in the medical setting, you know, there's things you say and there's things you don't say in those contexts. So we're kind of all following all these scripts.

And, you know, it seemed repulsive to me at first to think, oh, there's this pre-written script and I'm just an actor on a stage following stage directions when I should be a human in the moment connecting with this other human. But pre-written scripts, pre-written actions and choreographed motions and gestures pervades every aspect of society.

And, you know, it seemed repulsive to me at first to think, oh, there's this pre-written script and I'm just an actor on a stage following stage directions when I should be a human in the moment connecting with this other human. But pre-written scripts, pre-written actions and choreographed motions and gestures pervades every aspect of society.