Joining Humanity and Science medical humanit ies, compassionat e care, and bioet hics in medical educat ion

Educating medical students to be physicians involves many dimen-sions. But in an educational culture where science and technology dominate the cur-riculum, these subjects also too often dominate the academic value system as well. While a firm grasp of scientific knowledge and technical skill is essential, cultivating humanistic virtues is at the core of all good medical care and the full well-being of those within it. This article describes a formative educational process that points to-wards compassionate flourishing and unfolds through dialogue and reflection on the human aspects of patient care and the student experience, a process coequal in value to scientific development. This educational process has been successfully implemented at the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook. When supported by a broader institutional culture through an ongoing reflec-tive group process in residencies and other clinical settings, this process fosters profes-sional flourishing, which leads to deeper meaning and compassionate care of patients.