Humanism Curriculum
Addressing a Need
The pre-clinical curriculum at UT Southwestern represents a period of enormous change for each entering class of medical students. This largely classroom-based curriculum excels in equipping students with a scholarly foundation of knowledge that will serve them well throughout their careers; however, there is an opportunity for growth with regards to student exposure to the patient experience, thus strengthening their education in the human elements of medicine. The GHHS-facilitated pre-clinical elective “Humanism in Medicine” is designed to address this need. This elective is generously funded through a grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.
Empowering Students
The goal of the “Humanism in Medicine” pre-clinical elective at UT Southwestern is to:
- Increase student exposure to patient-centered issues
- Foster empathy in the physician-patient relationship
- Empower students with strategies to prevent burnout early in medical school.
Topics of Discussion
- End of Life Care
- Palliative Care
- Patient Centered Care
- Geriatrics
- Social Determinants of Health
- Addiction
- Barriers to Care: Cultural and Language Differences
- Physician as an Advocate
Upon completion of this elective, we hope participants are better equipped to empathize with the complex nuances of the patient experience, while also building a resiliency to burnout that will serve them throughout and beyond medical school.
