Required Reading

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Kitchen Table Welcome.


Have you ever read this book?


If you haven't, you should. I use this book as required reading for the M4 medical student writing elective.

Oh, and the only thing more awesome than this book is the lady who wrote it. Her name is Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen and she is . . .uh. . . hello. . .all kinds of awesome. She is the founder of the Institute for the Study of Health & Illness (ISHI.) ISHI is responsible for things like The Healer's Art Course, Remembering The Heart of Medicine, and the Finding Meaning in Medicine groups that meet all over the country. She is definitely my kind of people.

I met her at a conference this week focused entirely around Sustaining Caring Attitudes in Medicine. I even got to hear her speak. Yes! But that's not all. . . .I sat next to her and chatted her up about this, that, and even the other.  And let me tell you--she listens as beautifully as she writes and teaches.

So. Awesome.

Seeing as she is totally one of my major role models in medicine, I was a wee bit excited to meet her. Just a wee bit. I was really trying not to act like an overzealous, supergiddified fan because that pretty much sums up how I was feeling at the moment.

Uh yeah.

coaching myself to be cool.

But you know? She was super gracious and treated me like I was the one with an ultra-famous NY Times Bestseller and an internationally recognized curriculum that instills caring attitudes in our learners.

There's nothing like meeting someone who's kind of a big deal. . . .but who doesn't act like one.

I met one of my she-roes, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, this past week. And guess what? She met me, too.

Yay.

***

7 comments:

  1. I love her, too, and I do wish that her books and programs might infiltrate the ranks of neurology. Ahem.

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  2. From the deck of the poop,
    I know the feeling. Meeting someone that's really a big deal and they don't act like it. I had a chance to check Beverly Johnson into the golf course course one day and she was totally cool. Wouldn't allow the little twerp the was with her to try and take cuts using her name. Took her place in line and was totally cool and beautiful.
    I was read the book you recommended immediately.

    Love you

    PoopDeck

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  3. One of my professors recommended her books to us as first year medical students, and it was great reading for someone just starting out in the field. How amazing it must've been to hear her speak!

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  4. Rachel Reman is so awesome and has definitely influenced my life in medicine. Thanks for the reminder - I think I'll re-read her. If you haven't already done so, you may want to check out Pauline Chen's Final Exam.
    Once again I wish to thank you for the time you take to post so regularly!
    Ethel

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  5. I love that book! SO cool that you got to meet her. I would have been freaking out a little, too. :)

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  6. Hands down one of my favorite books, too. Not gonna' lie, I'm a little jealous. Meeting her is one of the 176 items on my Life (Bucket?) List.

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  7. Uh...this reminds me of my meeting with you, LOL!! I will download this book ASAP.

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