Central PA Medicine - February 2017 - 26

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Practice Management

Medical

Humanities:
A Student's Perspective
By STEPHAN LEUNG, XIAOJIE LIAO,
TONY LIN, AND RITESH PATEL

T

he patient-physician relationship is among the most sacred and
vital to a patient's well-being. Voltaire once remarked that "the art
of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the
disease." While physicians cannot cure every disease, we can listen
to patients, hear their story, relieve their symptoms and alleviate their fears.
These premises form the basis of the patient-physician relationship which is so
crucial to healthcare and wellness.
Ever since the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine (PSUCOM) was
founded in 1967, practicing humanity has always been a focal point of the
medical curriculum. In 1972, PSUCOM was the first medical school in the
nation to introduce literature into its curriculum1. Since the first day we walk
into the hospital as medical students, we are trained in our humanity coursework
to challenge our own beliefs, reflect and share our own experiences, and read
literature and poetry which gives us ways to critically examine moral issues in
medicine. This training has prepared us for our third-year clinical rotations
where we often see these humanistic forces in action. We observe and emulate
model physicians across our health campus in an effort to develop these similar
characteristics in ourselves. One particular memory regarding humanity which
resonated deeply with us was during an experience in the emergency department.
A 45-year-old Caucasian male arrived in the department on a warm summer
evening. Disheveled in his loose-fitting white T-shirt and ragged jeans, he sat
impatiently as he gazed around the patient room. Prior to entering, the attending
physician took a quick glance at the computer chart: New patient: 45-year-old
male complaining of right forearm pain after falling from ladder. She gave a
quick rap on the door, pulled aside the curtain and entered the room. With a
warm smile, she asked, "What can I do for you today, sir?"
The patient grumbled and muttered that he was working on the
shingles of his home when he fell off his ladder and landed on his right
arm. Clutching his right arm, he further described the pain that he was
enduring. As time elapsed, the doctor noticed that the patient's pupils
were becoming more dilated and he was growing increasingly jittery and
nervous. The doctor, in a calm and non-judgemental manner, asked if
there was anything else he would like to speak to her about.
The patient suddenly looked away, clearly embarrassed. It was at that moment
when the physician realized that the patient was scared and ashamed about
something. Gently pushing a little further, the doctor reassured the patient

26 February 2017 Central PA Medicine
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central PA Medicine - February 2017
