Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
5112396 tn?1378017983

Learning from Patients

So today I'm going to an orientation at a local university. Their medical school has an ongoing programme for real patients come and 'teach'/answer questions/give observations to current medical students. This was piloted with Crohn's patients, expanded to arthritis patients, and this year those of us with MS come on board.

I just wanted to give a little hope to people who have had poor experiences with medical health professionals. The ethos in their training is starting to actually involve the human element from the early stages. It will take a while to filter through, but this university is just one of many taking this approach now. The times, they are a-changin', however slowly.
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
987762 tn?1671273328
COMMUNITY LEADER
it does sound great, hearing patient stories has got to help trainee doctors/neurologists understand specific medical conditions a lot better :D great job babe!

CHeers.....JJ
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thanks, JJ! I'm really looking forward to participating. One of the experienced patient educators said they were surprised that it also had the knock-on effect of helping them better communicate with their own medical team. All for the good, I say.
Avatar universal
Wow, that all sounds really awesome. I wonder if other countries are doing it at all?

I have to keep it in mind when I see my physiatrist. I think she would be intrigued. She is one of the good ones and very empathetic.

I'm glad the orientation went well and I can't wait to hear any updates on how things go.

Good for your MS Society too. I will also mention it to mine. :)

C.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Wow! That's awesome news. It has been a long time coming for medical professionals to be a bit more empathetic but glad it is starting somewhere.

Good for you for participating as well and I wish you the best with your "teaching". The sooner they see real patients with real illnesses the better.

Enjoy orientation,

Corrie
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thanks! I just got back. It's really what you'd be hoping for. It's actually our national MS Society (I'm in Ireland) who advocated for our (MS patients) inclusion.

We'll be helping instruct medical students in their first and fourth years, before they're really doing clinical/hospital work, so arguably when they're at their most formative yet they're most underexposed to actual patients.

We help with things like history-taking practice in small groups, sharing our experiences, exam taking, etc. It's really positive that this type of programme is going on. Some of the past participants were there and they've all had very positive experiences. The young people we'll be seeing will be quite raw, but hopefully we'll help "build a better doctor"!
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Multiple Sclerosis Community

Top Neurology Answerers
987762 tn?1671273328
Australia
5265383 tn?1669040108
ON
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease