Abstract
This article explores the disconnection between what pre-professional students expect from college and what their undergraduate education might foster, between the focus on “getting into medical school” and the development of humanistic physicians. It reviews the longstanding challenge inherent in helping pre-meds acquire not only sufficient scientific background but also well-developed interpersonal skills to help them understand patients’ experience of illness and their own interactions with other members of the health care team. Clinical experiences from the NEH Institute are interpreted from the perspective of a pre-med advisor who also teaches literature; they are also incorporated into an undergraduate course on literature about illness.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Engel, M.F. Achieving “Narrative Flow”: Pre-Medical Education as an Essential Chapter of a Physician’s Story. J Med Humanit 26, 39–51 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-005-1052-1
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-005-1052-1