Physician Belonging and Clinical Empathy
Surabhi Rawal, MDCM, MSc (HPE), FRCPC
Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, Montreal Children’s Hospital
Director, Subspecialty Residency Training Program
Assistant Professor, McGill University
Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Time: 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Hybrid: IRC Room 414 & Zoom*
*Please note: New Location for the 2024-2025 Academic Year is in Woodward IRC, 4th Floor
To kick-off the 2024-2025 Cutting Edge Speaker Series, if you are on the UBC campus on September 10, we invite you to join us for some light refreshments and networking starting at 11:30am in CHES Office (IRC 429).
Zoom Details: For connection details, please email ches.communications@ubc.ca.
Abstract
Empathy is an essential therapeutic element of the patient-physician relationship. Its presence leads to improved diagnostic accuracy, improved patient engagement and compliance. Physicians who self-report higher empathy in their clinical practice endorse lower amounts of caregiver distress and improved quality of life. Given its influence on the delivery of care, we must consider how best to foster empathy, and how best to limit threats to its erosion. While a number of studies have shown loss of empathy over the arc of training and practice, those that find stable or increased empathy correlate this trend with finding meaning in work. Creating community and collegiality in the workplace is a key factor influencing how one finds value in one’s contributions, and how one feels valued because of them. If belonging is important in retaining empathy, what steps can institutions and training programs implement to support staff and learners as they strive to provide empathic patient care?
Biography
Dr. Surabhi Rawal completed medical school at McGill University and graduated from the UBC Pediatric Hematology Oncology training program in 2016. She completed a Clinical Educator Fellowship at CHES in 2017 and an MHPE in 2018. She is a Pediatric Hematologist Oncologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, as well as the program director for the Pediatric Hematology Oncology training program. Her scholarly interests are in empathy, professionalism, humanism and physicianship in medicine. Outside work she loves spending time with her family and friends. She is an avid cook, a casual runner, and a passionate fan of women’s sports.
The Division of Continuing Professional Development, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine (UBC CPD) is fully accredited by the Continuing Medical Education Accreditation Committee (CACME) to provide CPD credits for physicians. This one-credit-per-hour Group Learning program meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by UBC CPD for up to 15 Mainpro+® credits. Each physician should claim only those credits accrued through participation in the activity. CFPC Session ID: 203168-001.
RCPSC ACCREDITATION: The CHES Cutting Edge Speaker Series is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.