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Electives - Humanities and Ethics in Medicine

Mindful Practice/Mindful Life

Elective Number: 3522 (arranged)

Course Supervisor: Drs. Julia Connelly & Sam Green, 5th floor Barringer

Evaluation should be given to: Dr. Connelly

Duration: 2 weeks

Available: Not Available - Class of 2012 or 2013

Report to: TBA

Time to Report: TBA by course director

Place to Report: TBA by course director

Suggested Preparatory work: None required, but students need to arrive interested, curious and committed to developing new insights and understanding of their professional and everyday lives. They may wish to browse Jon Kabat-Zinn’s, Full Catastrophe Living and Where Ever You Go There You Are. Also Saki Santorelli’s Heal Thyself: Lessons on mindfulness in medicine; and two articles: “Mindfulness in medicine and everyday life” by Paul Elliston, BMJ, 2001 (Nov): 2-3; “Mindful Practice” by R.M. Epstein, JAMA, 1999, 282(9), 833-839.

Attendance: Attendance at elective activities is mandatory.

  • Anyone who is ill or has a personal or family emergency must contact Student Affairs and the Attending on Service.
  • Students are allowed to take off up to 1 day per week to interview between November 1 and February 1.
    • Specific days missed must be approved by the Attending on Service.

Number of students per rotation: Minimum of 4, Maximum of 10

Course Description: This course offers an intensive introduction to mindfulness and other contemplative practices, all aimed to enhance the physician’s ability to provide effective, satisfying medical care and engage fully in all aspects of everyday life. No prior experience or knowledge is required for this course. The course is intended for students who want to develop a mediation practice or develop an established practice; advance their clinical skills, such as listening, patience, compassion, and non-judgmental acceptance of patients; and experience a method of stress reduction, while observing its impact personally and exploring the benefits and outcomes with patients (e.g., those with anxiety, chronic pain, depression and other stress related concerns.) The course will lead to a rich understanding of the “healer’s art” as it relates to self-care and self-knowledge of the physician as well as the care of others.

Students will participate in a modified version of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. Students will experience formal mediation, including activities such as mindful eating, moment-to-moment awareness, non-judgmental interactions, observation of pleasant and unpleasant events and interpersonal communication. Students will participate in other contemplative experiences, reflect on clinical care and outcomes from the perspective of mindfulness, keep personal observations in a journal and explore areas of interest via literature.

By the end of the rotation, students will:

  • Be familiar with the concept of mindfulness (moment-to-moment non-judgmental acceptance and full awareness
  • Participate in practices of formal and informal meditation
  • Experience the impact of mindfulness practice on their everyday lives
  • Understand the application of mindfulness as medical professionals and in clinical settings
  • Recognize common sources of stress in their lives resulting from beliefs, perceptions, judgments and other activities of the mind
  • Understand and apply mindfulness-based strategies to care for themselves and in the care of patients

The course meets in three to four, three-hour sessions each week, for a total of six to eight sessions during the two-week course. Additional class time will be scheduled for visits within the community, clinical activities and for special sessions with guests. Students will be asked to engage in meditation practices: yoga, sitting meditation or lying (body scan) meditation for at least one hour/day, 6 days a week during the rotation. Specific assignments and tapes will be used as guided instruction. This is in addition to class time, and they should plan on spending a minimum of 15 – 20 hours on their own time on practices and assignments. Students are also invited and encouraged to attend Medical Center Hour.

This description is a general overview. The schedule and particular requirements for the course will be established by the instructor(s) at the time of the course.