Abstract: When I was a house officer I was bleeped to a ward to watch a man pass the last few moments of his life. He was “not for resuscitation,” but I was called because his relatives were so distressed. On arrival, I remember feeling overwhelmed and helpless. I became rather angry at the nursing staff for the inappropriate call. Afterwards I told my colleagues about how it really wasn't my job to be there for the relatives. “What could I possibly have offered?” I naively said. It was the combination of avoiding a difficult and awkward situation and plain stupidity that led me to …