Spirituality in Medicine Track
This Spirituality in Medicine track was established to help medical students cultivate their own spirituality, defined as an individual’s search for ultimate meaning through participation in religion and/or belief in God, family, naturalism, rationalism, humanism, and the arts*. In addition to spirituality of self, it is imperative that medical students, as future leaders of healthcare, be able to support the spiritual identity of their patients. With this track, students will learn how to foster a space for reflection, to learn interviewing tools to discuss complex social and spiritual issues, to have exposure to a variety of faith traditions, and to integrate a patient’s spirituality into his or her clinical care plan. Gaining these skills will allow students to care wholistically for themselves and for their patients, embracing the mission of cura personalis or care of the whole person.
*Puchalski et al. Spirituality and Health: The Development of a Field. Academic Medicine 2014;89:10–16.
Track Director
Tara Coles, MD