Storytelling and Relational Identity: Lived Experiences in Medical Education (Part II)

Creative Language Technologies

This is episode #17th of the podcast and it’s Thursday, the 12th of May, 2022.

I sat down with Dr. Sally Warmington, a retired medical doctor and narrative researcher from Melbourne, Australia with a deep interest in the encounter between health professionals and those seeking care. Her experiences as a doctor, student, teacher and patient inform her research at the intersection of anthropology, cultural theory and linguistics. Her book "Storytelling encounters as medical education: crafting relational identity" demonstrates the key role of storytelling in medical education and practice and its potential to promote collaborative, better quality care.

We had a fascinating discussion on many important topics covered in Sally’s book, but the episode went over the usual podcast duration, so I’ve decided to split it into two parts. This is Part II.

We continued our discussion from Part I on ethics in clinical practice, focusing on the concept of ‘ethical mindfulness’ — how to bring in and apply ethical values in research. We then moved to the importance of medical students’ reflective writing, process which allows students to become more aware of the emotional and relational aspects of the clinical encounter. And, in this context, we explored various options to the questions “Do patients’ stories matter? And, are doctors aware of their importance?” Dr. Warmington argues for a universal adoption of practices that promote dialogic engagement between medical students, clinical teachers, and patients, giving us lots of examples from her own research and clinical experience.

Here is the show.
Show Notes:

- ethical mindfulness in research and clinical practice

- reflective writing in medical teaching practice

- how should we approach medical care?

- toward a universal adoption for practices that promote dialogic engagement between students, clinical teachers, and patients.

- Can empathy be taught? (The need to look for another way of framing the issues around the clinical encounter)

- detached concern vs. engagement practice in medical encounters

Note:

Link to Dr. Warmington’s book:

"Storytelling encounters as medical education: crafting relational identity" is available on the Routledge website:

https://www.routledge.com/Storytelling-Encounters-as-Medical-Education-Crafting-Relational-Identity/Warmington/p/book/9781032177007#

Her research papers can be found on Google Scholar.