title: A medical student elective promoting humanism, communication skills, complementary and alternative medicine and physician self-care: an evaluation of the HEART program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In 2002 the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) created a fourth-year medical student elective known as the Humanistic Elective in alternative medicine, Activism, and Reflective Transformation (HEART) that provided the opportunity for students to explore humanism in medicine, self-care, complementary and alternative medicine modalities, communication, activism, and community building in a four-week immersion experience. The educational effects of this elective, and whether it has met its stated goals, are unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors conducted a web-based, cross-sectional survey of the first eight cohorts of HEART graduates in 2010. Survey questions assessed respondents' demographics and perspectives on the educational impact of the elective. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and qualitative analyses were guided by grounded theory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 168 eligible alumni, 122 (73%) completed the survey. The majority were female (70%), age ≤35 (77%) years, and trained in primary care specialties (66%). Half were attendings in practice. The majority of respondents felt the elective taught professionalism (89%) and communication skills (92%) well or very well. The majority highly agreed that the elective helped them better cope with stress during residency training (80%), taught them self-care skills (75%), and improved their ability to empathize and connect with patients (71%). Qualitative analysis of the personal and professional impact of the elective identified twelve common themes with self-discovery, self-care, and collegial development/community most frequently cited.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of HEART graduates endorse learning important skills and benefiting from the experience both personally and professionally. Aspects of the HEART curriculum may help training programs teach professionalism and improve trainee well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: mdossett@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Dossett
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kohatsu
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nunley
authors.forename: Darshan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Roger B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Russell S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yeh
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000193:education*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006808:Humanism; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011361:Professional Competence; D012648:Self Care; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013334:Students; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Professionalism; communication skills; humanism; integrative medicine; medical education; self-care skills
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