Humanism: The Use Of Narratives In Medical Education

Prominently featured in the mission statements of virtually of every medical school and medical institution in the world is the call for empathetic doctors. These institutions wish to train medical professionals that possess qualities of sympathy and compassion, and hospitals wish to employ health professionals that showcase similar qualities. The reality, however, is starkly different, as physicians, jaded by what they have seen in the medical world, lose the qualities that drove them to medicine in the first place. In Frank Huyler’s “The Blood of Strangers,” a collection of short stories from his time as a physician in the emergency room, Huyler uses the literary techniques of irony and imagery to depict the reality of the world of a medical professional. While Huyler provides several examples of both techniques in his accounts, moments from “A Difference of Opinion” and “The Secret” in particular stand out. Huyler uses irony and imagery in these two pieces to describe how medical professionals have lost their sense of compassion and empathy due to being jaded and desensitized by the awful incidents they have witnessed during their careers.

In the essay Defending My Life, author Geov Parrish tells the narrative of his personal experience with the medical field and healthcare industry regarding life-saving organ transplants in which he underwent. Throughout his narrative he brings up many key issues present in current day medicine that relate well to our BEST medical curriculum. The first issue involves behaviorial aspects of medicine and the importance of the patient’s perspective in care. The next issue involves the social and ethical dilemmas relating to the cost of healthcare and adequate access to proper care.

A physician must be well rounded in a variety of fields to provide effective care. First, an interest in learning scientific knowledge must be accompanied by the ability to translate that knowledge into methods of treatment. Because science is constantly changing and improving, a physician should be continuously expanding their scientific learning within and outside of their respective fields. Most of the coursework that I have taken reflects my interest in the intersection between biomedical science and its applications through an anthropological lens. For example, I have performed public

In Dr. Charon’s piece, “To Render the Lives of Patients,: she talks about preventing the dehumanization of medical students during medical training and explains a method that could help medical students distance themselves from their own needs and focus on the patient’s point of view, which in thus would reduce frustration and hinder dehumanization.

Physicians of the future will emphasize the human aspect to establish the patient doctor relationship.

Three years ago my grandpa got very sick, and was admitted into Hospice. Every day I watched as CNA’s and nurses took care of him, helping our family. The support of those caregivers made me want to be a CNA for the summer, and possibly pursue a career in the medical field. Helping people has always been a passion of mine. The happiness I feel by helping others, is what I strive for. Compassion and kindness are two of my most valued traits. I would not be the person I am today without them.

The sharp scent of chlorine fills my nostrils as I crane over the microadjuster, determining whether my Platinum/Iridium wire tip is done reacting. Waving away the fumes, I observe the bubbles fizzling out, turn the voltage off, and twist the tip out of the machine. At 163 nanometers wide, it’s the sharpest tip I’ve etched this summer.

PPD aims to help medical students develop professional skills and attitudes that will be essential in our future as doctors. The first PPD tutorial focused on fostering empathy, this was achieved by allowing students to briefly experience what it was like to be patient. The idea of empathy repeatedly came up throughout all the succeeding tutorials, thus highlighting the importance of its role in the medical profession. The purpose of this essay is to explore the concept of empathy, as well as examine its significance in medical practice.

Medical school’s purpose is to prepare students to become doctors, allowing them to have a positive impact on their patients’ lives. However, medical school is bias with its teaching, because it believes its’ methods are the only way to treat medical problems. This idea is becoming more problematic with the diverse cultures coming to America. With each culture comes more boundaries for biomedicine to face. Instead of trying to cross these boundaries, biomedicine strictly believes that their knowledge of medicine is far superior to other cultures. The problems that occur due to these barriers could be overcome if the doctors were able to

During the semester, my curiosity steadily inclined. While witnessing the miracles of medicine, I noted the evident necessities of a physician and recognized what characteristics the great ones fostered. Compassion is among many; I recall a specific episode involving a forty-year-old female suffering from stage four lung cancer where I truly understood the significance of showing compassion. The physician greeted the patient along with her enthusiastic sister. The sibling proclaimed her hope and announced to the doctor, “My sister is a survivor, and she will beat this!” The doctor responded, “Yea, Steve Irwin said that too,” and exited the room. I found his joke repulsive. He lacked compassion and the patient was clearly affected by his harsh statement. Being a physician requires uplifting and reassuring patients, as well as their families, that everything possible is being done to better their quality of life. I promised myself that day that I would comfort every patient encountered and demonstrate genuine care. This is a skill I also practice outside of the hospital through volunteer experiences. One of which includes volunteering with patients of Kindred at Home Hospice. These individuals need an even greater amount of emotional support as they are nearing

In medical school in India, Sarah was only taught about subjects like biology, chemistry, and anatomy, and was not exposed to the connections that the social sciences have to medicine. Due to the traditional definition of medicine, or rather, “western biomedicine” that Sarah’s medical school used, she perceived herself more as a biologist or chemist, than a doctor. However, when she ventured out of the classroom, and more into the field of medical practice, Sarah’s sense of identity was challenged. She realized that she could not be a good doctor by being solely a biologist or anatomist. She would also have to have the skills of an anthropologist, sociologist, and psychologist. In fact, in her current job, Sarah describes her role as more of a therapist than as a doctor. “Yes, I prescribe medicine and treatments,” she says, “but an important part of my job is being a counselor, and offering moral and emotional support.” Especially because Sarah works in hospice about thirty percent of the time, she believes that having good social skills, and being able to offer psychological support can help not only patients, but also their families and loved ones through difficult times. Sarah also believes that having experience learning about different cultures, societies, norms, and traditions is also a valuable asset to have as a physician because it

The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies has introduced an MH program with the aims of connecting MH in the present day to the heritage of Renaissance humanistic traditions, and reviewing the history of MH from its beginnings to the current day. The program also includes social sciences and illustrates their relevance to medicine. It also covers major topics such as bioethics, literature and narrative methods, explores their origins and development, and highlights their relevance to medicine and health care [16]. The courses in the Drew MH program include:

Storytelling is the art of transmitting ideas and messages is an integral part of our societies and cultures. The origins of storytelling trace back to the 15000 and 13000 B.C where drawings of extinct animals in the Lascaux Caves indicate 900 animals and the drawing of one human. In the modern world storytelling has taken different shapes and mediums. Storytelling has existed in all kinds of fields as, “…archaeologists dig up clues in the stones and bones…” (Gottschall, 15), which they use to create stories of the past with those remains, “business executives are increasingly told that they must be creative storytellers” (15),to make narratives about their products and brands, and just like them doctors are storytellers as well. Recently, researchers have acknowledged that storytelling plays a powerful role in the practice of medicine. Storytelling plays a crucial role in medicine as it provides an important role for health literacy which leads to an increase in the overall health of the patient, provides a central role in the physician/patient relationship and introduces the concept of digital storytelling that can promote reflective learning by medical students.

The practice of medicine has been characterized as of late by a departure from the professionalism and humanism that once acted as the basis for all medical care. The current medical model of education and training, as well as an increase in technological reliance and the overburdening of healthcare workers has generated a shift in how practitioners behave in the medical setting. As a student of the PA profession, much of my success as a healthcare provider will be determined by the success with which I perform my technical responsibilities and generate meaningful interactions with my patients. The virtues of professionalism and humanism should be exemplified in all medical professionals’ approaches to patient care, yet often, as was

As an aspiring physician, I place an emphasis on the importance of patient care along with medical knowledge. It is crucial for physicians to understand and respect their patients. Before I can practice this as a physician, I’ve been working on instilling the value of respect and open-mindedness within myself. Since high school, it has been important for me to be a diverse individual who is able to understand and connect with people of various backgrounds. My experiences during college really helped to polish and refine my personality.