Please read the article by Rita Charon with a focus on understanding what narrative medicine is, and how it inherently incorporates empathy and relationship building. As you read it, think about how the practices above of reading poetry or examining art, help strengthen our capacity to engage patient narrative.

Please read the article by George Zaharias, which briefly reviews the notion of narrative medicine, but then elaborates key concepts needed to put it into practice. In particular, pay close attention to the 7 Cs and the open-ended questions that can help elicit narratives from patients, as well as helping them elaborate their stories.

The articles above mainly focus on how narrative can add to the picture of the patient and their illness, particularly in ways that foster a humanistic view. This supplemental article turns that lens back toward the professional identity development of the practitioner, exploring how narrative, in the form of reflective writing, can foster humanism and empathy among professionals.

This supplemental article will be particularly useful for those of you engaged in this course as a mentored experience with a faculty member or peer. This article explores interactive reflection in the process of giving feedback on narrative. If you've written narrative above, think about employing the type of interactive reflective model described by Wald and Weiss in the process of giving feedback. Then, think about the types of connections this has fostered that may not have been present with a more traditional form of feedback.