A Year in the Life at HiH
The 2023/2024 school year is finally coming to a close, and it is time to take a moment to reflect and reminisce on all that we have accomplished thus far. Our club strives to take an interdisciplinary approach to introducing the discourse around healthcare, with a specific focus on the humanitarian practice of narrative medicine. While this concept is not mainstream and does bring about a few raised eyebrows, it is a topic we have grown passionate about and are adamant will change the future of healthcare in positive ways.
To recap, narrative medicine is a focus on patient-centred care, where patients are not to be defined by their diagnoses but rather by their unique, novel experiences. These experiences shape who they are. Narrative medicine reminds us that our patients are still human, deserving to use their voice to express themselves profoundly in ways that will facilitate empathetic care provided by their physicians and nurses. Here at Humanities in Healthcare, we have undoubtedly been able to practice narrative medicine within our own club’s initiatives.
We kickstarted the year at Clubs Day to serve as an opportunity to collaborate with the student body through a few icebreaker games of trivia, which was a learning experience for all who participated. Then, we partnered up with ZIPS, a mentorship program to offer students the chance to network and connect with those in healthcare-related fields. We are adamant that mentors serve as a point of guidance for undergraduate students, especially when navigating a complex field such as healthcare.
A notable turning point for HiH was the launch of our new blog! This blog aligns with our values and goals in that not only do we assign designated members of our club to contribute to writing blog posts but we also encourage other students apart of the club to contribute as well. We acknowledge the uniqueness of every person's experiences with the healthcare system and are more than eager to address the knowledge gap and bring the concept of narrative medicine to the mainstream media.
In the early months of the spring term, an infamous event of ours took place: the Interdisciplinary Healthcare Panel. Here, we put special thought into recruiting key speakers to bring to light a variety of career options within the healthcare field that students may be interested in pursuing. This discussion based forum allowed students to network with graduate students and other professionals to name a few. The panelists were the embodiment of practicing narrative medicine throughout their work, thereby reminding us all how crucial it is to implement this practice into our daily lives.
Finally, we wrapped up this successful year with our prestigious Narrative Medicine Case Competition. Learning about narrative medicine is one thing but coming face to face with it and using one’s critical thinking skills to analyze a case and muster up an intervention that aligns with its principles is extraordinary and celebrated. In teams of 3-5, students tackled a patient scenario and underwent a variety of workshops throughout the 2-day long event to then present their intervention to a panel of judges. It was an intense 2 days of collaboration, worthwhile fun, and a deeper dive into what healthcare and narrative medicine is all about. We have accomplished so much and are eager to accomplish much more.
We at Humanities in Healthcare are excited to see what the 2024/2025 school year brings. Sign up to be a member, keep on the lookout for new hiring posts, and have a happy summer!
By: Saray Membreno (She/Her) | VP Marketing
