I have been practicing Hospital Medicine for almost two decades now. I started out as one of three hospitalists in a small community hospital, to being the Medical Director of three Hospitalist programs in the Hudson Valley region managing about 40 hospitalists serving our community.One of the things I love about working as Hospitalist compared to being in an outpatient setting is that I can spend time with a patient who needs me the most. These patients are not always the one who is acutely ill. It can be the patient who presents with chest pain and is dealing with a divorce, or a mother of three who was just diagnosed to have breast cancer. Being at the bedside and connecting with people in a deep, meaningful way is almost always the highlight of my day. Making these connections is a great reminder of why we do what we do. It reinforces the truth that the practice of medicine has little to do with handing out prescriptions to our patients. True medicine is more about reminding ourselves that healing comes from our connectedness with each other and that there is an innate wisdom within us that is always working towards health and wholeness. I tell my patients: Be who you really are. Live a life that is yours and yours alone, resonant to your heart’s wisdom. Learn truths within yourself till all illusions and boundaries that are no longer needed dissolve. Be mindful of the connectedness we all share with each other. You are here for the experience and the remembering of who you’ve always been.