A Day in the Life...S. Montiel Rosenthal

Where do you live and minister?
Cincinnati, Ohio. We started a new house, Holy Family House, in Price Hill. There are three of us living together – S. Sandy Howe, S. Pat Dittmeier and myself.

Please give a brief description of your ministry.
I am a family physician employed with University Family Physicians at Forest Park [a non-profit corporation affiliated with the University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine]. I also teach family medicine to medical students and young doctors.

How long have you been in this ministry?
I’ve been in this particular job for approximately six years.

When does your day begin, and what is your morning ritual?
I wake up between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. and get dressed for work. We meet for prayer at 6:15 a.m. We usually have a more contemplative/quiet reflection on one of the readings of the day. I have breakfast – sometimes together, pack my lunch and leave for work. I try to make it there by 7 a.m.

Please describe what this day in your ministry involved.
I am on call for labor and delivery and there are quite a number of ladies due any minute. Sure enough one lady arrives and she is in active labor. It’s her third baby and labor is going very fast. She wants an epidural, but it’s not going to happen because there is a problem with one of her lab tests. So I talk with my resident and patient about the next steps and the plan is to offer her a nerve block just before the baby is born. Things move very quickly and all of a sudden we have a new little person. She is healthy. Mom had some problems with hemorrhaging and we finally get that settled down. I talk with the resident, addressing the issues of heavy bleeding with mom and the serious problems that could result. Then we are off to clinic. It’s prenatal clinic where we are seeing pregnant moms. During this time I take care of patients while also teaching the medical students. During the afternoon we have interviews with applicants, students who are soon to be graduating from medical school and deciding where they want to do their residency. It’s an exciting time; I get to talk to newer/younger people. Many want to work as missionaries for short term. They have a refreshing and different perspective on how we can improve our medical and health care delivery system. The interview gives me a sense of whether this individual would be a good fit in our program - would they be a good, compassionate family physician. After I am finished interviewing, I learn no one else is in labor, and our morning mom and baby are well, and so I return home.

How did you spend your evening?
We take turns making dinner at our house. It usually falls on whoever has time and is inspired to cook. After dinner it’s back to checking e-mail, checking charts of patients at the office and making sure that things are addressed and my medical assistant knows what to do. By 9:30 p.m. we gather for evening prayer, and I head to bed after that. I usually don’t sleep well knowing I’m on call. Usually there’s a phone call or page saying I need to come in to evaluate a patient at the hospital.  

Was this a typical day or out of the ordinary?
Typical for this time of the year, as far as interviewing applicants. We are flooded with babies right now. It’s never boring. There are quiet times like tonight, but it’s usually not boring.

How do you carry out the spirit of Elizabeth Seton in your daily ministry?
Elizabeth had a soft spot for pregnant women and children being a mom herself, and I consider it a pleasure to be able to provide that care for women, and their babies, to stay as healthy as possible – and to teach the next generation of doctors to do the same.  

How did you pray today?
In addition to the more structured morning and evening prayer with my housemates, it’s usually on the fly. If I have a difficult medical procedure, I say a little prayer before I begin. In our house we each have a longer prayer once a month that reflects that person’s spirituality and what they’d like to share with the group.

What were your interactions with other Sisters of Charity or Associates?
Today there weren’t as many other than with my housemates, but I do medical acupuncture and have an office at the Motherhouse. I interface with the Sisters at the Motherhouse on a regular basis.

 

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