Page 21 - Humanism 2019
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Imagine yourself in my shoes. How would you react?
Would it put a hitch in your stride? Now, imagine this What is
happening while you were studying for boards.
Horrible timing, right? I tried to push through and Normal?
keep studying that following week, but it seemed like
every Q-bank question I took involved a patient in a By David Baron, DO, MSEd,
motor vehicle accident, and it would all come back. I Vice President, External and Clinical Affairs
was staring at my screen, but my mind was in the
water, wondering if that was my last breath. One dictionary definition of humanism is “an
Overcoming this accident was difficult, but this was outlook or system of thought attaching prime
not the beginning of my struggles during medical importance to human rather than divine or
school. Starting my first year, an unforeseen health supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the
issue came to a head. It threw me more off course potential value and goodness of human beings,
than I had ever been in my life. The accident
emphasize common human needs, and seek solely
happened just as I was standing on my own two feet
rational ways of solving human problems.”
again. This accident compounded the mental strain I
was already under; and yet, I did not break. During At WesternU, humanism is a core belief and
the past years I have had to become resilient. I honed embedded in our institutional DNA. As an
skills in perseverance and adaptability. I have had the
fortitude to climb out of the metaphorical hole three academic institution dedicated to training the next
times now. generation of graduate health care providers,
defining “normal” is a fundamental component of
During the past few years I have realized how the educational goals for all nine of our colleges. In
important the role of the mind is in medicine.
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing addition, understanding that health is much more
one’s awareness on the present moment while calmly than the absence of physical and emotional
acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, abnormality is key to our educational message to
thoughts, and bodily sensations. This means our students.
acknowledging the good, the bad, and the downright
ugly. As physicians and patients, we need to I am reminded of the sage advice of a clinical
remember the health of the mind along with the professor from medical school, who taught me
health of the body. The mind controls the body, and that a student cannot reliably recognize
when the mind is failing, so does the body. It may not abnormality until they have seen many normal
be in obvious ways, but it does. We need presentations. In fact, there is no one “normal,”
compassion, understanding, and acceptance for those
going through visible and silent struggles. I have but rather a range of normal values. What is
experienced both, and the best medicine I received normal for one may be abnormal for someone
was from those who showed compassion and else. Context matters. Normal behavior in the
encouraged me to continue with my dreams. context of hanging out with friends would likely be
considered abnormal in a formal classroom
Everyone has their own story and their own daily
battles. Remember this as you treat your patients, and setting. The well-educated health care provider
remember this as you interact with people in every must be able to determine normal from abnormal,
aspect of your life. I am on a journey. We all are. This in a variety of settings. Culture often plays an
is one chapter in my story, and every day I relearn important role in assessing normality.
what it means to be human. What the meaning of
pain, struggle, love, joy, and success consist of. What At WesternU, we are proud of our tradition of
it means to truly be alive. n humanism and the key role it plays in training the
Illustration courtesy of shutterstock.com next generation of high-quality health care
professionals. It is one of the things that makes us
special. It is the “normal” for our University. n
HUMANISM IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES 2019 • VOL. 22 18
