How were you told you have an autoimmune disease? Can the model of formation in Catholic Healthcare be a universal tool?
Exploring how medical professionals are trained to deliver diagnoses.
As a former Mission Leader in Catholic Healthcare, I was responsible for creating and delivering formation experiences for all colleagues. The Catholic Health Association (CHA) explains, “Ministry formation creates experiences that invite those who serve in Catholic health care to discover connections between personal meaning and organizational purpose. These connections inspire and enable participants to articulate, integrate, and implement the distinctive elements of Catholic health ministry so that it flourishes now and into the future.” (https://www.chausa.org/focus-areas/ministry-formation/leadership-formation)
Though this language is distinctly Catholic, the core of formation and its intended purpose are universal. Helping colleagues connect to mission, vision, and values is important culture work that deserves time and attention. Formation was my favorite part of my job. Formation offers a “pause” in the day to day operations of healthcare and can bring people together in intentional and unique ways. A growing edge in my previous ministry was educating our internal medicine and surgical residents on a variety of topics related to purpose, identity, and personal development. In our noon conferences, I found that residents had a difficult time articling the “why” they do what they do. We had very casual conversations to start our hour-long formation and I found that using “I” statements to share their purpose in healthcare was a challenge for many, and, in particular, for younger residents.
At first this was puzzling to me. I wondered, “How can a medical professional not know why they are pursuing practicing medicine?” When I did get responses, they varied. Some were very intentional and shared their personal experience operating within the healthcare system while others shared the impact of caring for a loved one or witnessing a loved one experience health challenges. Others shared they were good at the discipline of science and the pursuit of excelling in the field was exciting. And, others said, “I am not sure.”
Trust is essential to patient care. Patient experiences scores (in my opinion) center around two things: trust and action. So, these responses from residents made me ponder, “How can a medical professional, who does not understand their “why” deliver difficult news to a patient and their family?” I created role plays with the residents, where I was the patient or the caregiver and they were asked to communicate different diagnoses. I will offer deeper insight into that in a follow up post, but for now, I would like to open the conversation to others who have a chronic illness or a life changing diagnosis and their caregivers:
How was your diagnosis shared with you?
Did the healthcare provider show empathy and compassion? If so, in what ways?
If the healthcare provider did not show empathy and compassion, how would you describe their tone/tenor?
When you left the office, were you given materials with information?
Upon reflection, what are you thankful for or how would you advise a medical professional to approach difficult conversations around a diagnosis?
As always, feel free to comment, email, or visit my website for more information or to collaborate. This is a topic near and dear to my heart in both my professional and personal life and welcome any conversation or dialogue.
With care,
Stephanie
#autoimmune #autoimmunedisease #myastheniagravis #MECFS #mentalhealth #diagnosis #medcialprofessionals #residents #residenteducation #formation #CatholicHealthcare #internalmedicine #surgery #medical #doctor #nurse #nursepractioner #sharingnews #storytelling #corporatemedicine #mission #values