Pre-program Tips

To prepare for the program, arrange for a conference room. I like to have the tables in a U-shaped arrangement. Flip charts and marker pens are ideal. Instead of a flip chart you can use a computer and LCD projector to capture the comments of the participants. Using the computer you can print out their comments easily, but I think that participants prefer the flip chart method. Arrange for seven hours of category I continuing medical education (CME) credit. Assemble 2-pocket folders for each participant containing an agenda for the day, a Course Evaluation form, the CME certificate, and possibly a brochure about other programs that you might be offering in the near future. Copies of readings and three case scenarios should be given to the participants at appropriate times during the program and therefore not inserted into the 2-pocket folder before the program. Bring a copy of the book (Remen, R.N.: Kitchen Table Wisdom, Riverhead Books, NY 1996). Mark the story pp. 169 – 172 for reading to the participants. Begin praying for the participants as soon as you know about your program plans. If you do not pray, meditate keeping the participants in mind and visualize wellbeing and wholeness for them.

Two Categories of Physicians to Consider

Physicians generally find Spirit in Medicine useful, but there are two categories of physicians for whom it has special value. First are physicians who are burned out or burning out. Physicians today are under assault. They invested many years to develop their skills, often at great personal cost. Now their work is under growing legal and bureaucratic scrutiny, and they find their incomes, their respect in society, and their job satisfaction deteriorating. When you see them in the clinic, their symptoms are varied. Some show fatigue, lassitude, coolness, and aloofness. Others fail to control anger. Yet others become dominating and abusive as they try to bolster a flagging self-esteem and regain a feeling of control. The second category is physicians’ groups that are newly formed, growing very quickly, or experiencing group dysfunction.