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“It Is Not A Disease We Treat, But A Person”: Medical Students’ Reflections On Their First Rotations To An Oncology And Palliative Care Unit, John Kearsley, Elizabeth Lobb

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

The vast array of technologic advances in medicine has transformed traditional medical practice and education. However, these advances are not without their critics (1-7). Some medical educators and students suggest that the “final product” of medical education has many of the characteristics of the applied scientist (2) rather than those of the humane physician-healer (8). Many medical students bring to their studies an idealism and an empathy that, for many, is quickly eroded over time. According to Bellini and Shea (4), they may never fully recover their empathy. Several studies have concluded that a significant decline in empathy occurs during …