Knowledge Is Power And A Curse and A Blessing

I wholeheartedly believe knowledge is power, and I have benefited from being taught at some of the best schools at all points of my life. However, I sometimes feel like when you know more, especially, when you work in healthcare as I do, that knowledge can be a blessing and a curse. 

You know when someone says, they or a family had XYZ symptom, suspect test result, or a combination thereof, and you as a health professional, think, ”This is not good.”, but don't feel comfortable saying so. So in this case your knowledge of the subject, is making you want to blurt out to them, ”Run to the doctors or run to the altar for the altar call and get your affairs in order.”

Or what about having access to one’s lab reports 24/7 with a few keyboard strokes. Does knowing that your white blood cells are .10 higher than your last set of bloodwork really make a difference, or is it causing you more angst. Now, don't get me wrong I appreciate having electronic access to my medical records, but for some, and maybe even for me sometimes, is the access worth the angst?

Sometimes, maybe it's not a change in lab values, but a new concern. So now, you're armed with this knowledge, consult Dr. Google, and scare yourself with all of the information you see. 

What if you're the person at an appointment and you know from experience in healthcare, the ”This appointment is about to go sideways.” look, and you're on the receiving end and the person you brought to the appointment has no idea what's about to go down.  Or you get a call from the doctor’s office after hours that you're not expecting. 

Knowledge being a curse and a blessing, doesn't even have to be about healthcare, maybe you've had many rotations around the sun, and you see a younger friend or family member about to make some poor choices. The same poor choices you've made in the past. Do you steer that family member or friend in the right direction, or let them falter so they can learn from their mistakes. 

Maybe it's street smart knowledge vs. country knowledge.  Regardless of the type of expert knowledge you have, sometimes knowing isn't as great as it seems and that knowledge is powerful, and should be used wisely.