Personal Inventory

Spirituality is something we bring to our work. We cannot bring what we do not have; what we bring depends partly on how well we take care of ourselves. Invite new physicians to think about some of the basics: So, think about how many hours of nightly sleep you recommend for your patients, and how many hours of sleep you got last night? Do you get regular exercise? How much time did you spend last week recreating or participating in family activities? You are new on the medical staff. This is an excellent time to check any addictive behaviors. Work itself can be addictive; review your schedule. Is your life balanced? If you are using recreational drugs, we can provide confidential help in turning that problem around. Alcohol, tobacco and sex can all be addictive. Now is the time to check your habits.

Spiritual Healing Restores Purpose

Illness has a shadow side, too. It deforms the spirit of your patients. Its messages are: “I may not be able to work again,” or, “I will be bankrupt from medical expenses,” or, “Who will take care of my children?” These are a few examples of threats that sick people have to their meaning and purpose. Spiritual healing restores purpose, and at its best, restores purpose that transcends life on this planet. For example, Dr. Ira Byok, a pioneer of the hospice movement, told me that he encouraged terminal patients to write thank you notes to their physicians for things like breathing treatments. The physicians received these notes posthumously, were touched by them and found new enthusiasm for treating terminal patients. The patients who wrote these notes found transcendent purpose even in the closing days of their lives.

Patient Spirituality Assessment

When you see patients consider making a spiritual assessment. There are several ways to do this, but a simple, quick and direct method is FICA, now in fairly common useage. This mnemonic will be easy for American readers. To take a spiritual history, ask your patient four questions: F – What is your faith tradition? I – What is important to you? C – Do you have community that supports you? A – How do you want me to address this during your health care? You may find easy opportunities to link your patient with their faith community, but you will certainly discover what spiritual care they desire. For many it will be an important link to their physical healing.

What You Bring to Work

The spirit of medicine can be deformed by our training and by other experiences in practice. What spirit do you bring to the bedside? There is a Sufi parable which illustrates this concept. The story is set at a building site where a great sanctuary is under construction. At the base of this growing structure three men are busy cutting stone. After the stones are cut they are hoisted onto the top of the rising wall by a crane. A passer by approaches one of the stone cutters and asks, “What are you doing?” The stone cutter replies, “Can’t you see? I’m cutting stones.” The passer by walks on a short distance to another cutter and asks, “What are you doing?” The second cutter responds, “I’m working to earn a living for my family. My son will get an education and live a better life.” The passer by asks the third cutter also, and he replies, “I am helping to build a great sanctuary.” All three of the stone cutters were cutting stone. All three brought a different spirituality to their work. In the work of a physician, spirituality is something you bring to the bedside. You cannot expect to be an instrument of spiritual healing for patients if your spiritual cup is empty. You cannot expect to be an instrument of spiritual healing for patients without some simple tools.