The first Medical Humanities Twitter Chat, or #medhumchat, happened January 2nd and was curated by Dr. Colleen Farrell, an internal medicine resident. Although I wasn’t able to fully participate (bath time for my three kids, as often is the case, was not a well-controlled event that offered much down time for a Twitter chat), I was able to go back and read the lively conversation.
Farrell notes in this follow up post the role the humanities play in helping “make sense of the seemingly senseless suffering and heartbreak I witness daily as a doctor.” This seems a common sentiment among medical providers today, as varied opportunities in narrative medicine expand.
Farrell’s blog post lists the Medical Humanities Chat readings and questions, along with a few responses from participants. It’s an interesting format to interact with medical professionals and patients from all over the world.
The next Medical Humanities Chat will be this Wednesday, January 16th at 9pm EST, on the topic of Racism & Medicine. I’m hoping, bath time willing, to be able to participate in this important discussion.
Locally, I recently attended the Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative‘s inaugural Seattle event, a medical moth with the theme of “My First Time.” The event sold out in just a few weeks and the stories told were varied, often humorous, and resonant with the crowd of both medical providers and the general public.
The next Seattle NW Narrative Medicine Collaborative event is yet to be announced, but I know is already in the works.
The popularity of these opportunities to share our stories, consider a narrative, process the intimate and at times wrenching role we as medical providers play in health and illness, highlights the thirst for such contemplation and conversation among increasingly burnt out physicians and frustrated patients. I find myself, ten years into my own career in primary care, seeking out such community, eager to help cultivate ways to gather and share.
I hope, wherever you are, you can find or foster similar opportunities to share your story, consider your patients’ narratives, and use the humanities as a tool for further introspection and connection.
Writing Prompt: Consider reading the pieces Dr. Farrell selected for the first #medhumchat and answer the questions posed in written form. Were your answers similar to the ones posted during the live chat? Did you gain a different perspective after reading through the conversation? Did any of your answers or reactions to the readings surprise you? Write for 10 minutes.