Teaching for Humanism

Abstract

The introduction of the humanities—literature, history, the fine arts, and philosophy—is becoming increasingly popular in medical education. However, the overall role and educational purpose of the humanities in medical education are not clear. The oft-expressed assumption that “exposure to humanities makes one more humanistic,” is a truism that has been justifiably challenged. In fact, introducing the humanities into a context in which their importance and “efficacy” in creating humanistic doctors is assessed by the same means as that assessing biomedical or clinical knowledge and skills (e.g., standardization, observable outcomes, fulfillment of competencies, simulations) arguably risks compromising the very value that the humanities bring to explorations of the human dimensions of illness and care. This chapter is devoted to an exploration of the aims of engaging the humanities in medical education and a discussion of specific pedagogical approaches in educating physicians for humanistic practice. In particular, the role of stories, dialogues, and reflection on the moral, existential, and interpersonal dimensions of medicine will be considered; and examples of specific educational practices from the authors’ own experiences will be used to illustrate how educational and social theory may be used to design learning activities that foster an orientation toward a practice of medicine that embodies excellence, compassion, and justice.