Training medical students to care compassionately

Author

Robert Matthew Stolick

Date of Award

8-1998

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Philosophy

Major Professor

James L. Nelson

Abstract

Patients share their vulnerabilities with health care workers on the condition that they are not mistreated in doing so. The treatment deserved by vulnerable patients includes compassionate care. In this dissertation, I argue that a partialist ethic is morally appropriate for health care relationships. This moral appropriateness rests primarily on the nature of medical practice itself. Compassionate care, as an example of the type of emotional involvement called for in a partialist ethic as applied to health care relationships, is shown to promote several instrumental and intrinsic values in health care relationships. Building upon the moral appropriateness of compassionate care, I consider the medical school admissions process and training methods of the medical school curriculum. I argue that these processes inadequately consider the ability of applicants to care compassionately, and that training methods neither explicitly nor adequately train medical students to care compassionately. In responding to these inadequacies, I propose a two-level program for training medical students and post-graduate residents to care compassionately for patients. This program involves self-assessment exercises as well as various training methods which build upon such exercises. I conclude that introducing the humanities into medical education promises to effectively train medical students and residents to care compassionately.

Recommended Citation

Stolick, Robert Matthew, "Training medical students to care compassionately. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1998.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/9371