Characteristics of Compassion: Portraits of Exemplary Physicians

by Helen Meldrum

Overview

The healthcare system has turned the art and science of healing into big business, and many doctors can no longer devote the greater part of their working hours directly to patient care, faced as they are with reams of insurance- and legal-related paperwork, the constant threat of malpractice, and a burgeoning patient population. Despite this, some physicians still enter the profession with deeply held convictions, hopes, and idealism, and go on to excel not just as medical doctors, but as human beings.

Characteristics of Compassion: Portraits of Exemplary Physicians is book that profiles the recipients American Medical Association Foundation Pride in the Professions Award. It gives insight into what sets these outstanding doctors apart from their peers to inspire medical professionals and their patients. It provides first hand insights and identifies a rich description of traits/motivations shared by today's leading physicians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763757335
Publisher:	Jones & Bartlett Learning
Publication date:	04/22/2009
Edition description:	1E
Pages:	277
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview
Chapter 2 The Woman Who Answered More Than One Calling Dr. Anne Brooks
Chapter 3 Supporting This Small and Sickly World Dr. Michael VanRooyen
Chapter 4 Finding Peace on the Other Side of Trauma Dr. Sylvia Campbell
Chapter 5 The Doctor Who Flunked Retirement Dr. Jack McConnell
Chapter 6 A Voice for the Urban and Rural Poor Dr. Bruce Gould
Chapter 7 Making Common Ground for Faith and Health Dr. G. Scott Morris
Chapter 8 Listening to Many Truths Dr. Coleen Kivlahan
Chapter 9 Inheriting a Commitment to Service Dr. Mark Asperilla
Chapter 10 What’s Harder Than Brain Surgery? Mobilizing the Healthcare Community Dr. Gary VanderArk
Chapter 11 His Rx: Spiritual Healing Dr. Gerald "Jerry" Jampolsky
Chapter 12 Living from Missing to Mission Dr. Jeannette South-Paul
Chapter 13 Having an Impact on Health in the Small City and Leaving a Bigger Legacy Dr. Leonard Morse
Chapter 14 Have Compassionate Care, Will Travel Dr. Wendy Ring
Chapter 15 The Kindest Cut: Surgery with Soul Dr. William Schecter, with Gisela Schecter
Chapter 16 A Summation of What Was Shared

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Suzanne M Shultz, MA (York Hospital)
Description: This compilation of personal histories of physicians who received the American Medical Association's Pride in the Profession Award attempts to discover what beliefs and qualities may distinguish these honorees from their colleagues.
Purpose: The author's purpose is to discover, if possible, the "true spirit of being a medical professional - caring for people." To accomplish this, she conducts a series of structured interviews with the award winners to determine the philosophy, creed, and convictions that make these physicians representatives of their profession. At a time when medicine is more focused on technology than compassionate care, the author strives to define the medical soul by examining the lives of selected physicians.
Audience: The author intends this book to inspire practicing physicians, noting "I hope the good doctors' words of wisdom and discernment will make a real difference to working physicians and to the next generation to come." Although aimed primarily at a physician audience, it is of much broader significance and allure. Not only medical personnel, but also the lay public will find this book revealing, inspiring, and even heart-warming. The author's psychology education makes her especially able to assemble, evaluate, and draw insight from her investigation.
Features: Fourteen of the 16 chapters are life stories taken from the physician interviews, delivered in a structured but not quite autobiographical style. The first chapter is an introduction and overview that explains the methodology and organization of the interviews that underlie each biography, i.e. those questions asked with an ear toward values that set each of these individuals apart. The last chapter is a summary of the influences, experiences, models, mentors, and qualities that the author believes make these physicians the admired leaders of their profession. The well thought-out design of the book is one that can apply to any study that uses an oral history or stories-based approach to produce in-depth biographies. It is perhaps an unrealized strength that adds great value to the book.
Assessment: The author asserts in the preface that this book is a pioneer; there are no others like it. She concludes, "It is my hope that by spending time appreciating the distinguishing traits that the honorees embody, both new and experienced healthcare providers will feel motivated to reflect on their own evolving personal and professional stories." It is well worth reading.

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