title: The Tzu Chi Silent Mentor Program: Application of Buddhist Ethics to Teach Student Physicians Empathy, Compassion, and Self-Sacrifice.
abstract: The Buddhist Tzu Chi Silent Mentor Program promotes the donation of one's body to science as a selfless act by appealing to the Buddhist ethics of compassion and self-sacrifice. Together, faculty, families, and donors help medical students to learn the technical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological aspects of medicine. Students assigned to each "Silent Mentor" visit the family to learn about the donor's life. They see photos and hear family members' stories. Afterwards, students write a brief biography of the donor which is posted on the program website, in the medical school, and on the dissection table. In this paper, we: (1) summarize the Silent Mentor Program; (2) describe findings from an assessment of medical students who recently completed a new version of the program in Malaysia; and (3) explore how healthcare settings could benefit from this innovative program.
authors: Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. ssantb@emory.edu.
authors: Scott
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3505-8176
authors: S
authors: Santibañez
authors: Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, 1100 S Valley Center Ave, San Dimas, CA, 91773, USA.
authors: Debra
authors: D
authors: Boudreaux
authors: Department of Anatomy and Medical Simulation Center, Tzu Chi University, No. 701, Sec 3, Zhongyang Rd., Hualien, 97004, Taiwan.
authors: Guo-Fang
authors: GF
authors: Tseng
authors: , Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Kimberly
authors: K
authors: Konkel
mesh_terms: D002016:Buddhism / Q000523:psychology*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods; D004645:Empathy; D004992:Ethics, Medical / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D000071252:Mentoring / Q000941:ethics*; D008611:Mentors; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics
keywords: Buddhism; Empathy; Ethics; Medical education; Wholistic medicine