Pauline Chen's "Final Exam" offers a poignant and insightful look into the experiences of medical students as they confront death and dying. The book explores the emotional toll of medical training, highlighting the challenges and transformations students undergo as they navigate the complexities of life and death in the hospital setting. Chen's narrative approach provides a deeply personal and empathetic perspective on the human side of medicine, revealing the emotional resilience and vulnerability of those who dedicate their lives to healing. The book is a powerful testament to the importance of empathy and compassion in medical practice.
The Known World is a novel by Edward P. Jones that delves into the intricate lives of freed and enslaved blacks, whites, and Indians in Manchester County, Virginia, during the antebellum period. The story centers around Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former slave who becomes a plantation owner under the mentorship of William Robbins. After Henry's death, his plantation and the broader community face significant upheaval, including slave rebellions and the exploitation of free black people by corrupt patrollers. The novel provides a deep and nuanced exploration of the multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery.
The Magic Mountain is a novel by Thomas Mann, published in 1924. It follows the story of Hans Castorp, a young man from a Hamburg merchant family, who visits his tubercular cousin Joachim at a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland. Initially planning to stay for three weeks, Castorp ends up staying for seven years, immersing himself in the unique world of the sanatorium. The novel delves into themes of time, illness, and the intellectual and philosophical debates of the pre-World War I era. It is a parable of Europe before the Great War and a prophecy of the future, highlighting the decline of European civilization and the rise of irrational and destructive forces. The narrative is characterized by Mann's ironic and omniscient storytelling, exploring the human condition through Castorp's experiences and the diverse characters he encounters at the sanatorium[2][3][4].
Medicine is filled with stories that illustrate the most beautiful, devastating, hopeful, and consequential moments of life. But how do we capture these moments and transform them into everlasting lessons that guide us on our search for meaning? That's where the art of storytelling comes in.
Our guest on this episode is Anna Reisman, MD, director of the Program for Humanities in Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Reisman is not only a physician-writer whose essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and other major outlets. She has also dedicated her career to helping clinicians better reflect and write about their experiences.
Over the course of our conversation, we discuss how Dr. Reisman went from being an English major in college to working as a physician, her own experiences with burnout and what helped her overcome it, her approach to creative nonfiction writing, concrete ways that writing sharpens the mind of the physician, and more.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
2:00 - Dr. Reisman’s path from English major to physician
3:45 - The scope of Dr. Reisman’s current work
8:22 - How Dr. Reisman became involved in medical humanities and how she created a writer workshop at Yale Medicine
14:19 - How writing and the medical profession goes hand in hand
22:49 - The VA Writes reflective writing group
27:56 - Teaching observational skills to medical students in today’s technology-forward landscape
30:25 - How to approach the writing process if you are new to writing
45:57 - What Dr. Reisman wishes she would have known at the beginning of her career
Dr. Anna Reisman can be found on Twitter/X at @annareisman.
A list of Dr. Reisman’s essays can be found on MuckRack.
Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.
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