Medical Humanities Commons^™

In Memoriam: Dr. Michael T. Caley, Editorial Board

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Rebuilding A Foundation Of Trust: A Call To Action In Creating A Safe Environment For Everyone, Cynda H. Rushton, Laura J. Wood, Karen Grimley, Jerry Mansfield, Barbara Jacobs, Jason A. Wolf

Patient Experience Journal

Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, incivility and physical threats directed toward healthcare employees and often registered nurses was a growing concern by Chief Nurse Executive (CNE) leaders. In 2019, conversations initiated by The Beryl Institute’s Nurse Executive Council (NEC) to consider how best to achieve a much-needed balance between patient/family and staff safety have now become a critical priority to ensure the safety of everyone receiving and providing health care services. The heart of this work was organized around a set of newly developed ethical precepts designed to guide the exploration of key concepts. A call to action grounded in …

Music And Medicine, Sanjana Sundara Raj Sreenath

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This digital artwork, titled “Music and Medicine”, explores the role of holistic patient care as well as the important role of music as a therapeutic tool. Patients often seek connection and belonging during illness, and music serves as a powerful tool in healing. The important role of music in minimizing anxiety and improving mental wellbeing has been brought to the forefront during the Covid pandemic, given the drastic increases in depression and anxiety levels during this time.

Pivoting A Health Sciences Leisure Reading Collection In A New Direction, Susan Arnold, Jenn Monnin

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background:

The dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racial inequity brought renewed attention to establishing a leisure reading collection in our Health Sciences Library. Such a collection had long been on our wish list, but had never been achievable due to budget constraints. With a renewed University emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, and an unexpected $5,000 donation, the decision was made to feature books written by patients and medical practitioners of marginalized groups and those offering diverse perspectives on the practice of medicine. This emphasis dovetailed with the Libraries’ Strategic Roadmap goals and the campus’s Wellbeing Priorities. It is hoped …

In Pursuit: A Mother’S Account Of Her Son’S Rare Disease Diagnosis Journey, Anne M. Jones

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

A personal account from a mother’s perspective on her undiagnosed son’s medical journey over almost 6 years toward a diagnosis of a rare genetic variant in mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 interacting protein 3 (MAPK8IP3) resulting in neurodevelopment disorder.

Intergenerational And Intragenerational Connections Within A University Art Museum Program For People With Dementia, Sujal Manohar, Jessica Kay Ruhle

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

This visual essay highlights the impacts of the Nasher Museum of Art’s Reflections program, which engages people with dementia (PWD) and their care partners through interactive art museum tours. This program’s conversation-based tours with built-in time to socialize are designed to foster intergenerational and intragenerational connections between PWD and museum gallery guides, PWD and care partners, and between PWD. Discussions about artwork are visitor-driven and encourage lifelong learning among participants. Anecdotal feedback from Reflections participants and gallery guides confirms the value of relationship building, improving quality of life for PWD.

By fostering community and strong connections, Reflections programs help reduce …

Arts In Mind: A Multidisciplinary Approach To Museum Programs For Persons Living With Young-Onset And Early-Stage Alzheimer’S Disease, Rachel Thompson, Angel Duncan, Jessica Sack

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

This paper reflects on Arts in Mind, an ongoing museum-based program for those with Young-onset Alzheimer’s or in the early stages of memory loss. Co- developed in 2019 by the authors, an art therapist with experience in Alzheimer’s clinical trials research and two museum educators. Arts in Mind is a monthly program that invites people living with Young-onset Alzheimer’s and their care partners to look at and make art together. Arts in Mind responds to a previously unmet need for programming specifically designed for the Young-onset Alzheimer’s population and individuals in early stages of the disease. Sessions are anchored in …

Substance Abuse Relapse Is Not About Willpower But Is The Culmination Of Psychological And Socioeconomic Stress, Paul A. Steffes

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

The author reflects on the impact of non-judgmental listening on patient care outcomes.

Pragmatic Humanism In Csd Diversity Education: A Conceptual Framework To Engage Students Across The Political And Cultural Spectrum, Tobias A. Kroll, Ana Honnacker, Christopher Townsend

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The purpose of this reflection on scholarly teaching is to outline the difficulties arising when critical race theory, in its misappropriated and popularized form that dominates current discourse, is deployed as the sole educational framework in CSD education. We wish to offer an alternative framework, pragmatic humanism. The latter is expounded as a paradigm that can reap the benefits of critical race theory without succumbing to the absolutist claims of its popularized variant. It will be argued that pragmatic humanism is a useful framework for diversity teachers in CSD who are faced with an overwhelmingly White, conservative student body that …

Volume 5, Nova Southeastern University

be Still

No abstract provided.

From Dean Elaine Wallace, Elaine M. Wallace

be Still

No abstract provided.

Dr. Janet Roseman Halsband, Editor, Janet L. Roseman

be Still

No abstract provided.

Work The Heart, Train The Brain, Monica Sciturro, Jenna Knafo

be Still

No abstract provided.

The Asymmetrical Balance Of Medicine, Tabitha Xia-Zhu

be Still

The Asymmetrical Balance of Medicine is a visual representation of my life as a medical student. Asymmetrical balance in art is defined as a design that has different visuals on each side, but each side holds equal visual weight (e.g. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh).

Although the journey to practicing medicine is a long-term commitment that requires many sacrifices, making time for my loved ones and hobbies has kept me grounded both in and out of school. This balance will continue to be important as a physician. I believe that a capable physician can integrate their academic knowledge …

For We Sought Perfection In Their Divinity, Ligia Pinto

be Still

Medical school is a tiring and arduous challenge that feels like it asks for more than one can give sometimes. And with this past year, the pandemic has left its mark on all. This poem is both a warning and a kind reminder, to myself and those who need it, that while we strive towards our "sun", we have to give ourselves time to breathe, time to rest.

The Weight Of The World, Tobin Chakkala

be Still

Studying for board exams can be a rewarding but taxing process. There will always be more books to read, questions to do, and flashcards to memorize. I think every medical student remembers that moment of internal reflection, where they had to set realistic expectations that wouldn’t compromise their physical and mental health.

This drawing is a personal reminder that when we neglect other areas in our lives, we compromise the the balance needed to succeed. Thus, making time for yourself is not a sign of weakness, but rather an understanding of how to achieve sustainable progress during this medical journey.

The Path To Balance, Snigdha Ila, Pallavi Velagapudi, Vishal Ila

be Still

No abstract provided.

I Think I See It Now, Orestes Hadjistamoulou

be Still

Clean lines. Hot tea. Triangles. Am I missing anything? Be balanced! Do some yoga, make a checklist; you need balance right? Maybe, but no thanks, not right now.

Turning off some alarms. A bad movie with great friends. A long walk with no destination.....now we're talking. Balance is messy, it's what you need to feel whole again when life picks us apart.

Tug of war with my dog, Tennessee hot chicken sandwiches, I think I see it now--the balance that is.

So please, let's put on some loose pants and find reasons to laugh, and yes I suppose some yoga …

Rhythm, Divy Mehra

be Still

While clinical medicine is an intellectual creative art form, surgery is a performance art form. The composure, precision, grace, focus, and command needed to execute a procedure to perfection is not so different from that which is needed to execute a musical performance. The parallels are magical.

Journaling: A Practical Approach, Taniszahera Momin

be Still

No abstract provided.

Balance, Nafisa Choudhury

be Still

As the COVID-19 pandemic grew into a frightening monster to be reckoned with, medical professionals throughout the world had to address a question within themselves: where does the balance lie between our duty to heal and our personal obligations for our individual health and safety?

As personal protective equipment shortages, long work hours, and hospital overflow wreaked havoc on the medical systems nationwide, doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel were plunged into uncertainty and were almost wholly unsupported in this ethical dilemma. Our duty to treat and our obligation to treat the community around us does not often directly conflict …

Seesaws And Spheres, Samantha Sostorecz

be Still

No abstract provided.

Above Water, Vania Arboleda

be Still

After a trial and error period, I understood that balance is not about absolute control but of continuous inspiration.

ABOVE WATER represents my balancing act during my first year in medical school while going through the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been hard not to lose pieces of myself in these tumultuous times, especially when there is so much to learn and so little time. I turned to my loved ones to bring me light and joy. To be those shades of color that I had lost. I painted ABOVE WATER as a reminder of how I got here and why …

Eustress, Becky Li

be Still

Medical school proved to be one of the most challenging times for me to find balance. This past year in clinical rotations is when I especially found myself teetering to an higher degree of stress as I found myself overthinking and questioning my competence. Now having overcome the peak of this challenge, this composition serves as a snapshot and reflection of one of the most challenging but rewarding times.

Teamwork In Medicine, Ananna Kazi

be Still

This photograph demonstrates a group of medical students participating in a team building activity of stabilizing a balance board. A few of the students had their eyes closed while other helped them navigate their ways. This activity prompted the students to work as a team to complete the activity successfully and efficiently. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, this fun activity not only taught the students the importance of teamwork to have a balance at work, but also gave an opportunity to be emotionally balanced, away from work and studies.

A Balance Of Compassion: Fighting Inequality And Creating Access In Medicine, Ananna Kazi

be Still

This article describes my passion for using compassion to fight inequality and creating access in medicine.

Balance And Baking, Idarabasi E. Akpan

be Still

The piece is a personal perspective of how engaging in hobbies can help one find balance and peace. It is about discovering my love for baking and how baking has shaped my life as a person and a medical student. Baking puts me in a somewhat meditative state that grounds me and makes me feel connected to the world at large and to my needs in particular.

Balancing Medical School With Life, Katie Lamar

be Still

A poem about the trials of work life balance in medical school.

The Tight Rope Walk Of A Medical Student, Bhargavi Madhu

be Still

When I think of Balance, I thought of my life as a medical student. It is similar to a tight rope walk where we are walking the line of medical school, aspiring to become physicians while trying to balance school, a family life, hobbies and eventual work life. It is important to find the right balance in order to not face burn out, something that is seen all too often amongst medical professionals.

Restoring Balance, Daniel R. Villanueva Toby

be Still

As a medical student who has received half of their education during the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to portray the internal struggle of medical providers in trying to care for the sick and disabled. A great deal is expected of doctors in this day and age. That stress of expectations versus the innate desire to help others led me to write this poem.