Storytelling has saved my sanity during the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdown has given me time to write and share stories about my life and career. I wasn’t writing a memoir, I was engaged in writing narrative medicine. A story about the meaning of illness and an opportunity to reflect on the breadth and depth of the human experience in the medical setting. After I started telling stories, I realized that the field of narrative medicine has been around since the turn of the century.
Rita Charon, MD, PhD is widely recognized as the founder of the field of narrative medicine. After earning her medical degree from Harvard University, she earned her Master of Science degree in her Narrative Medicine Graduate Program at Columbia University and earned her PhD in English.Karon is also a co-author of Principles and Practices of Narrative Medicine and other academic works. In her pivotal article on narrative medicine published in Journal of the American Medical Association In 2001 Charon wrote:
Storytelling and writing abilities are taken for granted. In practice, however, few narrative medical writing programs actually incorporate writing skills as a program goal, including medical schools that incorporate medical humanities into their curricula. That number is now well over 100 in the US. In the most comprehensive review of narrative medicine writing programs to date, the authors recommend expanding program objectives to “include improved writing skills and self-efficacy related to the writing process as measurable learning outcomes.” doing.
Laura Roberts, MD, MA, Chief and Editor in Chief of Psychiatry at Stanford University academic medicinemany talented doctors “… have a hard time when it comes to writing. They worry. They’re late. They feel inadequate – not even real.”
Perhaps some doctors need tools to write creatively. This is a tool that can only be acquired through formal education. In my own case, I found that despite my love of writing, I had virtually no formal training in writing or English literature. So I recently decided to enroll in the Narrative Medicine Writing Program at a local university. I plan to take some graduate-level courses leading to a ‘certificate’ in narrative health care. Here is the list of courses:
Introduction to Narrative Medicine: Narrative as a Form of Knowledge
“The study of reading by narratively trained practitioners and the writing of assignments that move practitioners beyond clinical knowledge to narrative knowledge. Find comfort in the provider’s open space: Ethics, empathy and the unknown have more power than heart rate and X-rays when it comes to patient relationships.”
sick story
“A study of narratives of illness in poetry, short stories, creative non-fiction, and fiction. Emphasis is on developing in-depth reading and storytelling skills and empathy.”
writing & healing
“The study of narratives by physicians and other caregivers. Emphasis on reflective writing skills.”
One of the features of this program is that you can take classes in any order. Each class is given 3 credits for 2 hours, 1 night per week. The course will be held remotely via zoom. These are spaced out over his three semesters and can be completed in about a year. An individual who chooses a more formal course of study leading to a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing (MFA) additionally he must accumulate 36 credit hours (a total of 15 of her 3-credit courses) and is usually It will take several years.
At this stage in my life, I’m 70 with an MBA degree already, but I’m not keen on continuing my education beyond a basic 9-credit certificate program. But no one knows. There are many fascinating “support” workshops offered at this university and courses designed to identify rhetorical theory and apply it to different writing genres, including poetry and fiction. At a cost of $690 per credit hour, or a minimum of $2,070 per course, if you decide to continue your training beyond your certificate, you need to choose wisely.
I was impressed that at least one doctor, a cardiothoracic surgeon, took the plunge and paid $31,050 for an MFA degree. He was asked: “Why did you decide to pursue a master’s degree in writing?” We focus on the deeper meaning of what we do and how we can enhance the care we provide to our patients. The doctor has since retired and now pitches himself as an author (6 novels) and a freelance writer on his LinkedIn profile.
In fact, the benefits touted by the Narrative Medicine program, whether it’s for a certificate or master’s degree, include enhanced narrative competence, communication, and empathy. Burnout detection and mitigation. Promoting reflection on the formation of identity as a professional. Promotes team building; and promotes teaching ability. Interacting with passionate students of the medical profession and energetic teachers, most of whom are excellent writers and authors, creates an influential Esprit de Corpse, a passion for life. The learning environment stimulates storytelling.
My son is a writer and teaches creative writing at the college level. When he was in graduate school, one of his professors said, “The best advice I can give you is to write every day, even if you don’t feel like it.” His great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was an impulsive writer. He said it was a fun time to go to the attic, sit at the electric typewriter, and blast away. Asimov said:
Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA, Physician Leadership Journal Adjunct Professor of Editorial Board and Psychiatry, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia.The title of his next book is Every Story Matters: Exploring Contemporary Practices Through Narrative Medicine.