A Night of Physician Storytelling

by Raymond C. Truex, Jr., MD

When Dr. Caitlin Moss came to Reading Hospital as an academic hospitalist, she brought with her a concept that she had been introduced to at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston during her residency training. It wasn’t a diagnostic or therapeutic concept, but rather one related to the medical humanities.

On Thursday evening, September 8, 2022, the Reading Hospital Department of Medicine sponsored Our Stories, a Night of Physician Storytelling at the DoubleTree Hotel. This dinner event came together over seven to eight months through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Moss and Dr. Andy Donato, with the financial and venue support of Kate Thornton and the Reading Hospital Foundation. Those invited to the dinner included current and emeritus Reading physicians, residents, and Drexel medical students. Over 120 positive RSVPs were received.

The purpose of the dinner was physician communication, so younger physicians might hear how their older and more experienced peers managed their most difficult cases and dealt with the associated psychological stress; as Dr. Donato put it, “unpacking the burdens of being a practicing physician.”

The dinner was one part of the new medical humanities curriculum at Reading Hospital, intended to reduce burnout, improve communication skills, increase empathy, and improve ability to deal with the unknown. Narrative medicine is but one branch of the humanities curriculum, which also includes medical ethics, medical professionalism, communication, diversity, equity and inclusion, public health, theology and faith, history of medicine, and art in medicine. The dinner was highlighted by three guest speakers, Dr. Usama Nasir, Dr. Sarah Luber, and Dr. Erik Rupard, each of whom delivered poignant personal stories of medical stress and how they responded. Further, the seating arrangements at each table included a moderator and

a combination of house staff and more senior physicians who interacted with their own personal stories of challenging medical situations and their response to them.

Participants at all levels of medical experience found this dinner to be a success at many levels, and at the conclusion, there was a definite aura of camaraderie in the air. From early indications, this event may become an annual affair.