Learning Humanism from Surgeons

Surgeons are not necessarily known for their bedside
manner. The stereotypical surgeon is arrogant and aggressive, is sometimes
wrong but never in doubt, and values holding a scalpel much more than a
patient’s hand. Yet both of us were drawn to the operating room by surgeon role
models who were quite the opposite: caring, humble, steady, and prioritizing
their patients above all else. Now well into residency, we have observed that
most surgeons at our institution fit this latter description much better. And
while they constantly inspire and motivate us, rarely do we have the
opportunity to learn about what inspires and motivates them.

There is little down time on a busy surgical service,
and it is challenging to ask for deep insights on personal matters during or
between operations. Even outside of the operating room, we primarily discuss
topics related to patient care or surgical education, not work-life balance or
family. Thus, we chose to conduct interviews of our “humanistic” surgeons, as
chosen by our co-residents, to give us a window into the minds of these
larger-than-life mentors. We asked questions about anything they considered to
be an important part of their surgical identities, using qualitative methods to
identify attitudes and habits that promoted and sustained humanism. In our recent Academic
Medicine paper, surgeons described the importance of humility,
responsibility to patients, and a desire to live up to a high standard of
professional behavior.1 ...

Source: Academic Medicine Blog - July 16, 2019 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Guest Author Tags: ATLAS Featured Guest Perspective humanism in medicine professionalism qualitative research residents Source Type: blogs