|
|
|
Who’s Sorry Now?
|
Business New Haven
3/18/2002
By: Susan Cornell
|
A Yale survey has found that crying is a common experience among medical students and points to its potential value for physician education. A Yale School of Medicine faculty member reported in an essay published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that a majority of Yale medical students cried as a result of emotional encounters with patients during their first year of clinical rotations. Further, the experience of strong emotions can have an important impact on their education as physicians, said the article.
Said Associate Dean for Student Affairs Nancy R. Angoff, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine: “Crying is extremely prevalent in medical schools. I don't think it is unique to Yale, but people rarely realize it. We need to recognize it and use it in the clinical setting to teach students to become more caring, compassionate and thoughtful physicians.”
Angoff said that students told her that they were often worried that their crying would appear unprofessional, particularly in a field that has traditionally emphasized the need for emotional restraint. Angoff said that students should learn that crying may be a sign of a valuable capacity for compassion.
|
Go FirstGo PreviousGo
NextGo LastGo
to Index
|
|
