Cultivating Relationships in Medicine

Excerpt

There are several opportunities for medical students at the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine to "test" their skills in working with patients. During the first year of training, they have the opportunity to work with patients, who are actors trained in portraying actual patients with health challenges. Although these are not "real" patients in the true sense of the word, it's an excellent opportunity for medical students to engage and experience what they will practice in the future with patients. The students have a checklist to follow that is important preliminary training; however, what is most important from my vantage point as one of their facilitators, is to remember that they are having a conversation. It is true that this is a medical conversation, but a conversation nonetheless and one of the most important virtues of conversation is relatedness, connection, and listening. I love author Kenneth Cohen's quote, "Native American healing is compassionate healing. Native healers view life as a series of endless opportunities for growth and change. They believe that every time you see a healer, you should feel better after the encounter than before." ¹