Teaching in Relationship: The Impact on Faculty of Teaching "The Healer's Art"

Background: Medical teachers report both positive and negative experiences, but these impacts are not well understood. In particular, the experience of faculty in relationship-centered education is unknown. Purposes: We sought to assess the benefits to teachers of the Healer's Art, a popular international medical school elective course. Methods: We performed quantitative and qualitative analyses of course evaluations completed by 2009-10 Healer's Art faculty from 17 schools. Results: Ninety-nine of 117 faculty (84.6%) completed the evaluation. No differences in quantitative responses based on gender, specialty, medical school, or year of graduation were observed. Respondents were likely or very likely to agree that the course was useful, positively impacted clinical work and teaching, and increased overall commitment to teaching. In describing the benefits of teaching in the Healer's Art, faculty emphasized four themes: Personal Response to Medicine, Professional Growth, Greater Connection, and Greater Empathy and Respect for Students. Conclusions: Healer's Art faculty report personal and professional benefits, as well as increased commitment to teaching and to a relationship-centered educational process.