THE HEALER’S ARTThe Institute for the Study of Health

and Illnessat Commonweal

A STUDENT SPEAKS…

“Medical school is deteriorating to the soul and

we desperately need skills that help us not only

survive the process, but grow as human beings.

I am so grateful that The Healer’s Art was

created and that I was able to participate.”

• Developed by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

• Taught at UCSF School of Medicine since 1992

• Taught at 70 medical schools in USA, Canada, Israel, Slovenia, Taiwan, Australia & India

• Research published in peer reviewed journals and national media

HISTORY

• Both pre-clinical and clinical elective formats

• Strengthens professional affiliation and identity

• Educational strategy based on the Discovery Model

• Draws on theory from cognitive, humanistic, Jungian and contemplative psychology

ABOUT THE CURRICULUM

• Create a community of shared values among medical students, and between medical students and faculty

• Protect against cynicism, depression and the loss of commitment to service

• Develop the capacity to derive lifelong meaning from medical practice

COURSE GOALS

• Provide students with tools for maintaining personal and professional satisfaction

• Clarify professional values and commitment

• Validate self-reflection and self-care• Remind faculty of their joy of teaching

COURSE GOALS, cont.

• Medical education informs and transforms• Meaning and values underlie professional

behavior and commitment• Integrating professionalism into personal

identity requires a safe learning environment• Students enter medical school with a genuine

commitment to healing and service• In a community of inquiry, students and

faculty make equally valuable contributions

UNDERLYINGEDUCATIONAL THEORIES

The Healer’s Art Curriculum (2 formats):

• 15-hour elective for MS1 and MS2 students in a five session format.

• 6-hour elective for MS3 and MS4 students in a two session or day retreat format.

COURSE STRUCTURE

RESEARCH & EVALUATION

• Coordinated by the Center for the Study of The Healer’s Art since 2005

• Directed by Michael W. Rabow, MD mrabow@medicine.ucsf.edu

• Ongoing research and evaluation of national data• Qualitative and quantitative research methods• Longitudinal, and multi-institutional research

EVALUATION OUTCOMESAnalysis of 2003-4

National Course Evaluations

• 23 of 25 schools reporting

• 72% (489 of 680) of students

reporting

• 50.1% (88 of 174) of faculty

reporting

• Students rated course quality as 4.47 on a 5-point scale

• Students and faculty reported important learnings NOT available elsewhere in curriculum (4.59 and 4.76 respectively)

• Students reported using content from the course both professionally (65.7%) and personally (73.3%)

• Faculty reported using content from the course both professionally (75.0%) and personally (79.5%)

• Age, gender, medical school and school year not associated with differences in evaluation of the course utility or uniqueness.

EVALUATION OUTCOMES continued

STUDENTS EVALUATETHE COURSE

THE HEALER’S ART:“…helps us to remember what is important/what

matters most to us, and why we decided to become physicians in the first place.”

“…is truly unlike any other class or small group experience in medical school.”

“…provides a unique type of interaction between students and faculty.”

THE HEALER’S ART:

“…helps medical students not to forget their humanity and themselves, not to forget the part that makes you, you.”

“…taught me that practicing medicine can be a process of continual growth and discovery.”

“…taught me how healing just listening can be.”

MORE STUDENTS EVALUATE THE COURSE

• Grant supported and copyrighted

• Faculty training required before implementation

• Faculty Training Workshops and Resource Guides support curriculum implementation

• Free ongoing consultation and support available

• An established and growing network of faculty and associate deans

• For more information, contact ishi@commonweal.org or visit www.ishiprograms.org

IMPLEMENTATION

THE HEALER’S ARTwww.ishiprograms.org