Forming Humans in Health Care: Virtue Formation for Trainees in Diverse Settings

Abstract: What does it mean to form humans well for the work of health care? There has been an increased interest in the formation of character in medical education, and this panel explores that work beyond the education of medical students.

This work, of course, raises a whole host of other questions (e.g., ‘whose humanity?’ and ‘which virtues?’). This panel seeks to answer those questions through three case studies, with each describing the work of virtue formation within a particular setting and student population. In other words, this panel seeks answers to these major formational and philosophical questions by induction.

The bioethicist moderator will begin by introducing the panelists and the questions pursued through these case studies. Next, an ethics professor will discuss a cohort-based model of character education that introduces pre-med and nursing students to virtues such as attention, compassion, and courage. The program considers these virtues in the light of healthcare settings and in dialogue with clinical mentors. A bioethics and humanities professor in PA education then will discuss a 24-month course focused on love as the primary work of patient care, and attention as the primary act of love. This course stretches students across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning domains to explore the ethical praxis of medical humanities at the bedside and beyond. Finally, a physician and medical educator will describe a program for medical residents that cultivates practices of attention so that residents can pursue healing and flourishing for healers and patients alike, despite malformative healthcare ecosystems.