Humanities - MD (HMN)

Medical Humanities introduces the first-year student of medicine to topics which explore questions of value and meaning in and around medicine.

This course is offered once per year to first year medical students at the College of Medicine. The primary goal of the course is for students to gain an understanding of and respect for the scientific basis and impact of the mind on the body, and of the body on the mind. Therefore, the course will blend aspects of both fields (i.e., how the physiology of stress may be expressed in a primary care clinic in disorders such as migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome). A goal of this course is for medical students to not only understand the scientific basis of the covered topics, but to also see how each of the topics may be either personally or clinically relevant. By the end of the course, it is expected that students will be able to: 1. Explain the physiology of stress as it relates to health and disease. 2. Explore psychological factors that influence the placebo effect, behavior change, and adherence. 3. Appraise meditation and mindfulness and the potential physiologic and psychological benefits to patients. 4. Develop an exercise prescription using the key components identified in class. 5. Describe the impact of trauma (physical and psychological) on health and the role of defense mechanisms and resilience in health, disease, and healing. 6. Examine the concept of humor as a source of healing. 7. Apply each session topic to themselves or their patient experiences.

This 12 week course during the second year of Phase I focuses on the application of verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills in the context of patient care, team dynamics, and leadership. Communication builds on theoretical framework for communication skills presented in earlier humanities courses to help students construct a practical toolbox of skills as well as the opportunity for the application and rehearsal of skills in realistic patient-care related scenarios. There is heavy emphasis on selfreflection and self-assessment in order to provide students with the skills necessary to improve their communication skills lifelong. During the course, students will progress through four modules: 1) Self, which focuses on self-assessment of internal bias, assumptions, and values, and how these individual characteristics impact the way we communicate as providers and team members, 2) Dyads, which is the most intensive portion of the course, and focuses on specific skills such as techniques for establishing rapport, nonverbal communication, silence, listening, asking/questions, and framing statements, 3) Teams, which expands the techniques and insights learned during modules 1 and 2 for application in scenarios involving interprofessional teams and families, and 4) Systems, which focuses on the role of good communication within a healthcare system, including a session on communication skills of effective leaders, and a case study that explores the impact of a patient-related communication breakdown on a health care institution. Each session may involve pre-reading, and will begin with a short large-group interactive session related to the day's topic. The majority of each session will be devoted to small group workshops facilitated by trained faculty during which students can apply skills to a standardized patient care scenario. Evaluation methods are detailed below. The course will be offered once annually during Phase I of the Undergraduate Medical education Curriculum.

This course introduces the essential clinical competencies required to provide quality end-of-life care.

This creative writing workship requires MS IVs to convey their reflections as medical students in a variety of genres which, collectively, result in a portfolio and publication.

In this course, students will explore the use of graphic storytelling (or Comics) as a medium for communicating medical narratives.

This course teaches medical students about the full impact of illness and serious procedures on patients and their families.

This course explores situational and systemic challenges to ethical behavior in biomedical research and the practice of medicine.

This course presents current topics in Integrative Holistic Medicine and discusses the trasition from Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

This course reviews the key steps in the development of our thoughts and practices relating to childbirth and medical genetics over the past 400 years.

This course reviews the key steps in the development of medicine from its supernatural beginnings steeped in magic and religion through the creation of medical science.

This course introduces students to the core components of the creative arts and healing.

This course invites students to examine brain aging in an historical and cultural context, and contrast dominant reductionist understandings of dementia with a more humanistic, biopsychosocial model of care resurgent in recent years that places greater relative emphasis on the remaining strengths, capacities, and creativity of persons with dementia rather than focusing on deficits and losses.

Utilizes published autobiographical patient narratives and live patient interviews to explore the impact of illness.

At the end of the four weeks students will be equipped with four cognitive frameworks for thinking about and solving ethical issues in their clinical practice.

This course requires the student to study and recognize the great human virtues and to learn to practice virtue in medicine.

This course, intended for students pursuing residency in surgically-based specialties, seeks to explore the interactions that occur between patient and surgeon, from both perspectives, through group discussions, simulated patient scenarios, real patient encounters, and assigned reading.

This is a course that focuses on improving learners' patient-physician communication through building skill in improvisation.

Effective communication with patients is a vital skill for every physician. This course will delve into the interpersonal space between physician and patient.

Students make short documentary films about innovations that make care more patient centered.

Studies outside the scope of formal courses, supervised on an individual basis.

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.