“In purity and holiness I will guard my
life and my art.” –Hippocratic Oath
Spirituality is
difficult to define, yet easy to appreciate.
You might be able
to appreciate it somewhere in the memories of the idealism that you may have
had in your first year of medical school.
Along the way, your
“soul,” that place where you carry your values, ideals, and the reserves of
your inner strength, has been battered by the realities of dealing with death,
disease and disability on a regular basis. The restrictiveness of bureaucracy,
paperwork and doubt may have added to that toll.
Without care and
maintenance of your soul, you are vulnerable to the epidemic of burnout
sweeping our profession.
Hippocrates relied
on turning to Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia , Panaceia, among others, to bear
witness to his commitment to his professional path.
There are those
among us who turn to God for the strength to perform our art.
Others rely on a
faith in the inherent dignity of each and every patient to guide their way.
What can you do to
care for your soul?
Are concepts such
as purity and holiness as outdated as the original Hippocratic Oath itself?
You and a guest are
invited to examine the spiritual dimension of medicine with a professional
colleague who deals with this issue on a daily basis.
Derek Strachan is a
Spiritual Care Practitioner at University Health Network working in the Toronto
General Hospital Medical Surgical ICU.
He is also a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists
of Ontario. Derek will explore the
changing role of spiritual care in healthcare and its relevance today.
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